* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:09:34] YEAH. [00:09:36] UM, JUST A NOTE FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO AREN'T AWARE, UM, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN'S GONNA BE RUNNING THE MEETING TODAY. UM, HE WAS, IS IMPACTED BY SOME RAINY TRAFFIC. UH, SO WE'LL BE A LITTLE BIT DELAYED. [00:15:32] . [00:15:32] OKAY. UM, CHANGING PLANS. UH, I WILL, UH, CHAIR THE MEETING UNTIL VICE CHAIR COLEMAN ARRIVES. UM, SO LET'S GET STARTED. UH, ROLL CALL. COMMISSIONER NORVIG. AYE. HERE. COMMISSIONER DEB BENEDICTUS. HERE. COMMISSIONER MORALES. DO WE HAVE COMMISSIONER MORALES ONLINE? [CALL TO ORDER] YES. AH, THERE, THEY'RE ADJOURNING. OKAY, GREAT. WE ALSO HAVE, UM, COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL HERE. COMMISSIONER WISE HERE. ONLINE. COMMISSIONER COLEMAN, VICE CHAIR P*****K. HERE WE HAVE QUORUM. UH, I NEED TO READ A STATEMENT. UH, UH, PURSUANT TO ASSEMBLY BILL 24 49, I HAVE JUST CAUSED CIRCUMSTANCES AUTHORIZING MY REMOTE PARTICIPATION IN THIS PUBLIC MEETING. I HAVE A CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS IF ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 18. UM, NO ONE OVER THE AGE OF 18 IS IN THE ROOM WITH ME, [ROLL CALL] AND IF ANYONE WERE TO ENTER, IT WOULD BE MY SPOUSE. AND I ALSO HAVE A STATEMENT TO READ PURSUANT TO ASSEMBLY BILL 2, 4 4 9. I HAVE JUST CAUSED CIRCUMSTANCES AUTHORIZING MY REMOTE PARTICIPATION IN THIS PUBLIC MEETING. I HAVE A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE. NO ONE OVER THE AGE OF 18 IS IN THE ROOM WITH ME, AND ACTUALLY, THERE'S NOBODY IN THE HOUSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE TO THE REGULAR AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER ONE, RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ETHICS COMMISSION MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2025. DO I HAVE A SO MOVED? UH, I SECOND, I HAVE A MOTION [1. 25-54340 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Ethics Commission meeting of Wednesday, January 8, 2025.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] BY COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL, UM, ONLINE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. UH, ARE THERE ANY, IS THERE ANY INPUT ON THE MINUTES? I HAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION? UM, I JUST NOTICED THAT IN THE REPORT FROM, UM, REGARDING THE CONFERENCE THAT, UM, SEVERAL OF US ATTENDED THE REPORTS FROM, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL AND MYSELF HAVE MENTIONED HIS STAFF REPORTS. I DON'T THINK WERE CONSIDERED STAFF. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED, BUT I DID NOTICE THAT. THANK YOU. UM, UH, COUNSEL IS, IS IT APPROPRIATE INAPPROPRIATE TO REFER TO COMMISSIONER REPORTS AS STAFF REPORTS IN THE MINUTES? WE CAN CLARIFY THAT IT'S A COMMISSIONER REPORT IN THE, UM, IN THE DRAFT AGENDA THAT GETS APPROVED IN THE DRAFT IN THE MINUTES THAT GET APPROVED IN THE DRAFT MINUTES. YES. SO WE'RE THE MOTION WAS TO APPROVE. NOW, DO WE NEED A MODIFIED MOTION TO APPROVE SUBJECT TO CHANGING STAFF TO COMMISSIONER IN THE CASE OF THE TWO COMMISSIONERS WHO SUBMITTED REPORTS? UM, COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL. IS THAT AN ACCEPTABLE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT? YES, THAT'S AN ACCEPTABLE AMENDMENT. COMMISSIONER DEBE. OKAY, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS MATTER? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM ONE IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW OR DIAL STAR NINE IF CALLING IN. AND IF THERE'S ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE. SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN ZOOM. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM ONE. AND WE WILL TAKE A, CAN WE HAVE A VOTE, A VERBAL VOTE SINCE WE HAVE, UM, SOME TELECONFERENCE, UM, MEMBERS, SO COMMISSIONER NORVIG AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. EXCUSE ME. AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? [00:20:01] AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. CHAIR P*****K. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. CHAIR. A QUICK QUESTION AS WE ARE, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE AGENDA. IS IT THE PREFERENCE THAT WE DO ORAL BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO COMMISSIONERS PARTICIPATING REMOTELY THAT WE MOVE IN SECOND VIA ORALLY AND NOT VIA THE SYSTEM? IS THAT THE PREFERRED ARRAY? YES, PLEASE. YES. THANK YOU. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE [2. 25-54341 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Department of Financial Management on procurement processes and the implementation and application of the Vendor Code of Conduct.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] AND FILE A PRESENTATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ON PROCUREMENT PROCESSES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION AND APPLICATION OF THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT. MAY WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ANOR MOVES. I SECOND MORALE SECONDS. UH, THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER AVE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM OUR PROCUREMENT TEAM IS HERE WITH US AND THEY'LL INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE ETHICS COMMISSION. I AM TARA MORTENSON, BUSINESS SERVICES BUREAU MANAGER, AND I HAVE WITH ME TODAY MICHELLE WILSON, THE CITY'S PURCHASING AGENT. WE ARE SO PLEASED TO PRESENT HOW TO PRESENT HOW THE DAY-TO-DAY WORK COMPLETED BY THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION BRINGS TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY TO EVERY PROCUREMENT. WE'LL PROVIDE UPDATES ABOUT THE COMPLETION OF OUR EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER AND WAYS IT BROUGHT MORE TRANSPARENCY AND A CULTURE OF COMPLIANCE TO PROCUREMENT IN LONG BEACH. HOW WE ARE COM CONTINUING OUR COMMITMENT TO BEST PRACTICES IN OUR INDUSTRY AND HOW WE LEAD WITH INNOVATION IN MIND, BRINGING NEW OR UPDATED BEST PRACTICES WHENEVER POSSIBLE. I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO MICHELLE TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE GREAT WORK SHE AND HER TEAM HAVE DONE. THANK YOU TARA, AND GOOD AFTERNOON ALL. UM, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL I WAS HERE IN 2022, UM, AND AT THAT, THAT TIME WE WERE JUST STARTING TO EMBARK ON THIS TRANSFORMATION. UM, AND WE ARE BEGINNING TO DISCUSS THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT. WELL, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY TO REPORT BACK, UM, WITH ALL THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE. UM, I FIRST WANNA TALK ABOUT THE CORE VALUES THAT GUIDE OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS JOURNEY WAS TO LAY A FOUNDATION THAT GUIDED OUR DECISIONS, OUR TRAININGS, OUR POLICIES, AND OUR PRACTICES. IT WAS OUR ROADMAP TO ENSURE EXCELLENCE. AS WE EMBARKED ON CHANGE, WE DEVELOPED WHAT WE CALLED THE MODERN PROCURE MODEL PROCUREMENT PLAN. AND OUR MISSION BEHIND IT WAS TO PARTNER WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THE BEST OUTCOME TO THE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH. OUR CORE VALUES INCLUDED TO BE RESULTS DRIVEN. UNDERSTANDING THAT QUALITY SERVICES START FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, MAKING SURE TO CLEARLY TELL THE VENDOR COMMUNITY WHAT WE NEED ARE WHAT WE WANT THE OUTCOMES TO BE, SO THAT THE EXPERTS THAT THEY ARE CAN HELP US SHAPE THOSE OUTCOMES FROM THE BEGINNING, GETTING THE BEST VALUE, MAKING SURE WE ARE SPENDING CITY DOLLARS IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY TO PROCURE GOODS AND SERVICES THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. TO BE EFFICIENT BY IMPLEMENTING POLICIES AND REMOVING BARRIERS OF ENTRY. TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, TO HAVE COMPETITION IN EVERY PROCUREMENT WHERE EVERYONE WHO WANTS AN OPPORTUNITY GETS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALWAYS BE FAIR, MAKING DECISIONS IN LINE WITH THE CITY'S CODE OF ETHICS TO BE EQUITABLE. ALWAYS STRIVING TO ENGAGE A DIVERSE SET OF VENDORS, TO HAVE TRANSPARENCY THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF THE PROCESS TO ENSURE TRUST AND ACCOUNTABILITY. AND LASTLY, COMPLIANCE. TO MONITOR AND PROTECT CITY DOLLARS. NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT WE WERE BUILT ON, I WANT TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER. THIS WAS A TOP TO BOTTOM RENOVATION OF PROCUREMENT POLICY, PROCESS, AND PRACTICE. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE LAB, THE GOAL OF THE MAKEOVER WAS TO MAKE PROCUREMENT IN LONG BEACH, BETTER FOR OUR USER DEPARTMENTS, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND ULTIMATELY THE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH. THIS FOUR YEAR EFFORT WAS GUIDED BY FOUR PILLARS OF SUCCESS, EFFICIENCY AND FAIRNESS, RESULTS, EQUITY AND STRATEGY. THESE PILLARS CAME DIRECTLY FROM OUR MODEL PROCUREMENT PLAN AND ALIGNED NICELY WITH OUR VALUES. FIRST, THROUGH THE PILLAR OF EFFICIENCY AND FAIRNESS, WE TRANSFORMED THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS TO BE EFFICIENT, ETHICAL, INVITING, AND TRANSPARENT. WE WORK TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR GOODS AND SERVICES BY FOCUSING ON [00:25:01] IMPROVING SOLICITATION TEMPLATES AND TRAINING DEPARTMENTS TO WRITE RESULTS DRIVEN RFPS. WE FOCUSED HEAVILY ON EQUITY AND PROCUREMENT, ENSURING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN ALL OF OUR SOLICITATIONS, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY. AND LASTLY, OUR FO FOURTH PILLAR OF SUCCESS WAS USING PROCUREMENT AS A STRATEGIC FUNCTION, ASSISTING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WITH OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS AND FOR ALL OPERATIONS. THIS NEXT SLIDE IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE FOUR YEARS AND HOW WE HAVE TRANSFORMED HOW CITY DOLLARS ARE SPENT AND THE IMPACT THAT THEY ACHIEVE. YEAR ONE WAS AN INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION, FOCUSING ON EFFICIENCIES WITH OUR PRACTICES AND OUR PROCESSES. YEAR TWO, WE FOCUSED OUTWARD ON THE VENDOR COMMUNITY MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO INCREASING DIVERSITY AND ADVANCING EQUITY. YEAR THREE AND FOUR WAS GROWING OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS AND MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO INCREASE LOCAL PARTICIPATION ALL WHILE LOOKING FOR SUSTAINABILITY TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE. ALL RIGHT, THIS SLIDE IS MY FAVORITE, SO MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT IT. UM, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE OVERALL TRANSFORMATION AND WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED IN EACH YEAR OF THE MAKEOVER. AS I MENTIONED IN THE LAST SLIDE, IN YEAR ONE, WE FOCUSED INTERNALLY ON PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE STARTED WITH LOOKING AT THE EXISTING DATA TO GIVE OURSELVES A BASELINE ON WHAT WE NEEDED TO IMPROVE ON. WE ALSO TALKED TO INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THEIR PAIN POINTS. WITH PROCUREMENT, WE UPDATED OUR RFP TEMPLATE, UH, TEMPLATE, MAKING IT MORE INVITING AND EASIER TO NAVIGATE FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND LAID IT OUT IN A WAY THAT DEPARTMENTS COULD WRITE BETTER, MORE MEANINGFUL AND SUCCINCT RFPS. WE IMPLEMENTED A NUMBER OF TRAININGS THROUGH WHAT WE CALLED PROCUREMENT UNIVERSITY. WE TRAINED HUNDREDS OF DEPARTMENT STAFF IN THE BASICS OF PROCUREMENT AND THE ETHICS BEHIND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A FAIR AND TRANSPARENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS. WE EVEN HAVE A SECTION IN THAT TRAINING, WHICH IS TITLED THE ETHICS GAME SHOW, WHICH I'M SURE IS A GAME SHOW YOU WOULD ALL BE VERY GOOD AT. ANOTHER SUCCESS FROM YEAR ONE THAT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY IS OUR FORECAST MEETINGS. THESE ARE MEETINGS THAT TAKE PLACE ONCE A YEAR WITH DEPARTMENT STAFF AND OUR PROCUREMENT TEAM. WE DISCUSS WHAT THE DEPARTMENT'S PLAN PLAN IS TO PROCURE NEXT IN THE NEXT YEAR, AND WORK THROUGH A PLAN TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST PROCUREMENT METHOD BEING USED. WE LEVERAGE COOPERATIVE AND CITYWIDE AGREEMENTS, AND WE ARE ABLE TO DISCUSS OUTREACH, OUTREACH OPTIONS TO ENSURE COMPETITION AND ASSIST, ASSIST WITH LOCAL OUTREACH. IN YEAR TWO, WE SHIFTED OUR FOCUS EXTERNALLY TO THE VENDOR COMMUNITY. WE SENT OUT A VENDOR SURVEY IN WHICH WE RECEIVED OVER 300 RESPONSES. WE GOT VERY VALUABLE FEEDBACK FROM EXISTING VENDORS, VENDORS THAT HAD NEVER DONE BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, AND VENDORS THAT HAD SUBMITTED BIDS OR PROPOSALS AND WEREN'T SUCCESSFUL. WE ALSO FACILITATED SEVERAL FOCUS GROUPS SO WE COULD REALLY TAKE TIME TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK FROM THE VENDOR COMMUNITY AS IT RELATES TO THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACED WHEN DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY OR TRYING TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. WE IMPLEMENTED A NEW PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE, LONG BEACH BUYS, WHICH WAS MORE BUSINESS FRIENDLY AND HAD THE ABILITY TO CAPTURE BETTER DATA. THIS IMPLEMENTATION ALSO PROMPTED ANOTHER INITIATIVE, WHICH WAS EXPANDING OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS, WHICH WE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT ON A FUTURE SLIDE. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IN YEAR TWO, WE RAN WHAT WE CALLED THE RFP ATHON. THIS WAS A SIX WEEKS, SIX WEEK COURSE WHERE WE COACHED 45 DEPARTMENT STAFF ON HOW TO WRITE RESULTS DRIVEN R FPS. AFTER WE COMPLETED YEAR ONE AND TWO WHERE WE FOCUSED INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, YEAR THREE SHIFTED THE FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS TO FURTHER BUILD UP OUR VENDOR CAPACITY. ONE EXAMPLE OF A PARTNERSHIP WAS WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT WHO WE WORKED WITH TO LAUNCH THE PITCH LONG BEACH PROGRAM. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT INVITES VENDORS TO PROPOSE INNOVATIVE IDEAS TO THE CITY AND CONTINUES TO BE SUCCESSFUL. TODAY WHEN WE NAME THIS PROJECT THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER, EVEN WE DIDN'T REALIZE HOW EXTREME IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE BECOME EACH SUCCESS BUILT ON THE NEXT. AND BY THE END OF YEAR THREE, WE LOOKED BACK AND WE WERE ABLE TO REALLY SEE THE IMPACT AND ALL THAT WE HAD ACHIEVED. ALTHOUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH GPL ENDED AFTER THE THREE YEARS AND TECHNICALLY THE MAKEOVER HAD CONCLUDED, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN AND CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH YEAR FOUR AND BEYOND. I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY BEFORE YOU TODAY THAT DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY IS EASIER AND MORE INCLUSIVE. WE HAVE AN EXPANDED COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL [00:30:01] PREFERENCE PROGRAM. WE HAVE AN ONGOING CITYWIDE TRAINING PROGRAM AND WEEKLY OFFICE HOURS. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO BUILD ON OUR FORECASTING EFFORTS, WHICH GIVES US THE TOOLS AND INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO FORECAST OUT UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES MONTHS IN ADVANCE, GIVING THE VENDORS THE ABILITY TO PLAN AHEAD. AND THANKS TO MAYOR RICHARDSON, WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE AN INCLUSIVE PROCUREMENT OUTREACH COORDINATOR WHO'S ACTUALLY OUT IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. SHE HAS TAKEN OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT BEGIN IN YEAR TWO AND EXPANDED THEM INTO THE STRONG OUTREACH PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE TODAY. I WILL NOW PASS IT TO TARA WHO WILL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE ROBUST OUTREACH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS ASSUMPTIONS ARE USUALLY MADE ABOUT HOW EASY IT IS TO DO BUSINESS WITH GOVERNMENTS IN LONG BEACH. WE HEAR THAT OFTEN AND WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO BE AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE, WHETHER ONLINE, VIA PHONE OR IN PERSON. WE WANT OUR VENDORS TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE OUR SUPPORT AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP. WE HOST A MONTHLY WEBINAR WHERE WE COVER OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS, SHARE RESOURCES, AND INVITE VENDORS TO ASK QUESTIONS LIVE. WE ALSO INVITE GUEST SPEAKERS FROM DEPARTMENTS TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES. THIS WEBINAR IS QUITE POPULAR. WE KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE IS ACCESSING INFORMATION ONLINE. SO WE'VE EXPANDED OUR IN-PERSON OUTREACH AS WELL. IN 2024, WE ATTENDED OVER 30 EVENTS, A MIX OF WORKSHOPS AND C COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS. THE GOAL IS NOT ONLY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON OUR PROCESS, BUT ALSO TO HELP BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND DEMYSTIFY PROCUREMENT IN A WAY THAT MAKES FOLKS FEEL WELCOME AND EMPOWERED TO PARTICIPATE. WE'VE ALSO EXPANDED OUR REACH ONLINE THROUGH DIGITAL MARKETING WITH, WITH PLANS TO INCREASE CONTENT THIS YEAR. MATCHMAKING BETWEEN BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SPECIFIC PROCUREMENTS IS NEW THIS PAST YEAR AND WE HAVE SEEN GREAT RESULTS. WE IDENTIFY POTENTIAL VENDORS FOR A GIVEN NEED AND CONDUCT TARGETED AND TAILORED OUTREACH TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND HAVE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY RESPOND. ALL OF THIS ENGAGEMENT IS SO BENEFICIAL FOR BUSINESSES, BUT IT IS ALSO BENEFICIAL FOR INCREASING TRANSPARENCY. SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR PROCESSES NATURALLY BRINGS LESS CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND WRONGDOING REDUCING THE CHANCE OF HAVING A SPLASHY HEADLINE ABOUT LONG BEACH. INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR IS USUALLY SOMETHING THAT IS HIDDEN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESSES ARE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE UNWANTED ACTIONS. WE HEARD YOU WHEN WE WERE LAST HERE AND WE WORKED WITH OUR PROCESSES TO ENSURE WE SET THE STAGE FOR AN ETHICAL PROCUREMENT PROCESS RIGHT FROM THE START. WE COMMUNICATE EARLY THE CITY'S COMMUNI COMMITMENT TO ETHICAL STANDARDS. IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE USE TO TELL THE PUBLIC WE NEED SOMETHING PICTURED ON THE SLIDE ARE THE SAMPLE COVER PAGES TO OUR BID AND REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS. OUR UPDATED VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT, I'M SORRY, YOUR UPDATED VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT IS INCLUDED IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EACH TYPE OF SOLICITATION, WHICH ARE USED FOR PURCHASES OVER $40,000. THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE CITY'S FINANCIAL SYSTEM VENDOR TO ENSURE THAT COMPLIANCE WITH THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT IS INCLUDED IN ALL POS SO THAT THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR SMALL DOLLAR PURCHASES IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS WELL. IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING YEAR IN PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS IN LONG BEACH. WE TRULY ARE AN AWARD-WINNING PROGRAM NOW BEING RECOGNIZED BY TWO DISTINGUISHED ORGANIZATIONS IN GOVERNMENT FINANCE OVERALL, AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SPECIFICALLY. WE ONCE AGAIN APPLIED FOR A DISTINGUISHED NATIONAL AWARD. THE ACHIEVEMENT IN EXCELLENCE IN PROCUREMENT AWARD. ONLY 67 CITIES NATIONWIDE WERE SELECTED WHEN WE FIRST APPLIED FIVE YEARS AGO. PRIOR TO THAT, WE COULD NOT EVEN COME CLOSE ENOUGH TO QUALIFY. AND NOW WE HAVE WON IT FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. EACH YEAR, THE AWARD GETS HARDER AND INCLUDES NEW UPDATES. THE REVIEW PROCESS IS EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE, INCLUDING CRITERIA MEASURING INNOVATION, PROFESSIONALISM, PRODUCTIVITY, E-PROCUREMENT, AND LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES OF THE CITY. OUR DEPARTMENT AND BUREAU. I AM VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM'S RESILIENCE TO KEEP REACHING FOR THIS GOAL. AND OUR PROCUREMENT AGENTS DRIVE FOR INNOVATION AND CHANGE TO MEET THE HIGHEST NATIONAL STANDARDS IN THE INDUSTRY. OF NOTE FOR THIS COMMISSION IS THE ETHICAL STANDARDS REQUIRED. IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE, THE CITY MUST HAVE ETHICS POLICIES RELATED TO PROCUREMENT AND THEREFORE YOUR WORK HAS HELPED THE CITY CONTINUE TO QUALIFY. BUT THAT ISN'T ALL. THIS YEAR THE TEAM HAS WON A SECOND NATIONAL AWARD SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER FROM THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS [00:35:01] ASSOCIATION OR GFOA, THE ORGANIZATION THAT ESTABLISHES THE NATIONAL STANDARDS. THEY CALL IT THE BLUE BOOK FOR ALL GOVERNMENT FINANCE OPERATIONS IN THE US IN CANADA, THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT FINANCE MADE LONG BEACH, ONE OF ONLY NINE AGENCIES RECOGNIZED OVERALL THIS YEAR AND ONE OF ONLY TWO RECOGNIZED FOR PUBLIC PROCUREMENT GFO. A'S AWARD RECOGNIZES INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PRACTICE OF GOVERNMENT FINANCE THAT EXEMPLIFY OUTSTANDING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. THE AWARD FOCUSES ON PRACTICAL DOCUMENTED WORK THAT OFFERS LEADERSHIP TO THE PROFESSION AND PROMOTES IMPROVED PUBLIC FINANCE THAT HAS LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE AND VALUE. WE CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR MORE AND HOPE TO HAVE MORE GOOD NEWS THE NEXT TIME WE VISIT THE EXPANSIONS AND ENHANCEMENT OF PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS AND PROCESS COVERED TODAY UNDERSCORE THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING THE BEST OUTCOMES FOR LONG BEACH BUSINESSES AND ITS COMMUNITY THROUGH TRANSPARENCY, EFFICIENCY, AND PRINCIPLES OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION. YOUR WORK HAS DIRECTLY ASSISTED US IN ENSURING THAT WE MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC'S TRUST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THIS OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT OUR PROGRAMS AND PRO PROJECTS. AND A BIG THANK YOU TO MICHELLE FOR LEADING THE TEAM ACROSS THE FINISH LINE WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE EXTREME PROCUREMENT MAKEOVER AND FOR CONTINUING TO WORK TO IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES EVERY DAY. THIS CONCLUDES OUR REPORT. WOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I'M GOING TO TURN OVER THE CHAIR SEAT TO COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH MICHELLE AND TAR FOR COMING AND PRESENTING TO US TODAY. I THINK IT WAS REALLY A GREAT, UH, PRESENTATION AND I'M ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, EXCITED TO SEE THAT WE ARE MAINTAINING OUR LEADERSHIP WITHIN THESE PROCUREMENT PROCESSES. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONERS. UH, ANY DISCUSSION? I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UH, I WANNA ECHO, UM, VICE CHAIR COLEMAN'S RESPONSE, UH, COMMENTS. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU GUYS HAVE DONE AND ALSO YOUR EMPHASIS ON ETHICS COMPLIANCE AND YOUR EMPHASIS ON TRYING TO CATCH STUFF BEFORE IT ACTUALLY MAKES HEADLINES WITHIN THE, UH, WITHIN THE CITY. UM, COUPLE OF JUST CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS. UM, DOES THE PROCEDURE, YOUR WORK THAT YOU'VE ADOPTED HERE OR PROCEDURES YOU'VE ADOPTED HERE, DO THEY APPLY ACROSS THE BOARD OR, I BELIEVE PROBABLY JUST TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT. UH, IF I LOOK AT, UH, THAT BOX NUMBER TWO ON THE ONE SLIDE THAT SHOWED YOUR WORK AT BY TIMELINE, IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE IT'S ONLY WITHIN THE CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT. IS THAT CORRECT? YES, IT IS. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, AND DOES THE CITY USE, UH, OUT, UH, FOR OVERFLOW, DOES THE CITY USE OUTSIDE PROCUREMENT AGENTS TO HELP WHEN YOU'RE JUST RESOURCE CONSTRAINED? OR ARE ALL YOUR PROCUREMENT AGENTS INSIDE? WE ARE ALL INSIDE. WE ARE SMALL BUT MIGHTY. OKAY. AND, UM, I, ABOVE THE INCLUSION OF THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT AND, UM, THE, YOU REFERENCED APPARENT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. THE, UH, HAS, HAS ANY BIDDER THUS FAR BEEN DISQUALIFIED BECAUSE OF AN APPARENT CONFLICT OR A CONFLICT, NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, UH, DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS FOR HOW THOSE, UH, CONFLICTS ARE EVALUATED? SO CONFLICT OF INTEREST ARE SCREENED OUT BEFORE THEY WOULD GET TO THAT POINT. SO, UM, A BIDDER OR A, UH, OR A PROPOSER, DEPENDING UPON WHETHER IT WAS A BID OR AN RFP ARE SIGNING IN ADVANCE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM THAT STATES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A CON LIKE THEY'RE SIGNING, SAYING THEY DON'T HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. SO, UM, WE SCREEN THOSE OUT IN ADVANCE. THEY'RE VERY AWARE OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THEN ANYONE WHO WOULD PARTICIPATE IN AN EVALUATION COMMITTEE ASSOCIATED WITH IT OR SIGNING A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM. SO, UM, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS VERY, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY UPFRONT WITH IT ALL SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THEN WE'RE GOING TO FIND IT AND THEN HAVE AN ISSUE AFTER THAT. UM, I'D LIKE TO REFRAIN FROM PROVIDING, UM, ANY INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS OR WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THIS PUBLIC FORUM, BUT, UM, KNOW THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF ALL OF THAT UP FRONT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, SO I, I AGREE IT, IT IS AN EXTREME MAKEOVER, UH, BASED ON WHAT WE HAD SEEN ORIGINALLY. UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE VENDOR [00:40:01] CODE OF CONDUCT IS ON, UM, THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON PROCUREMENTS THAT ARE 40,000 AND GREATER. UM, SO TO WHAT EXTENT, UH, HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE OR, UH, UTILIZE THE, THE CODE OF CONDUCT WITH MAYBE MORE RAPID PROCUREMENTS, PCARDS OR THE SMALLER, UH, PROCUREMENTS? UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY ACTIVELY WORKING ON THAT. SO WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR FINANCIAL VENDOR TO GET THAT ADDED TO ALL OF OUR PURCHASE ORDERS. SO IT WILL BE ON ALL OF THAT LANGUAGE. ANY, ANY PURCHASE THAT HAPPENS UNDER $40,000 AND OVER, ACTUALLY THEY ALL GET A PURCHASE ORDER. UM, SO WE WILL BE COVERING THOSE SMALL DOLLAR PURCHASES ONCE WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE VENDOR TO GET THAT DONE. AND THAT PROBABLY SHOULD BE DONE WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH. GREAT. UM, I APPRECIATE THE WORK OF THE INCLUSION, UH, ALL, ALL THAT, UH, HARD WORK TO, UH, MAKE IT A BROADER CANVASSING, UH, BUT, UH, NOT TO IGNORE COMPETENCY AND COMPLIANCE. UM, SO DOES YOUR SCREENING PROCESS ALONG WITH CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALSO INCLUDE LIKE SUSPENDED AND DEBARRED? UH, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE PROCESSES THAT YOU USE AND, AND CAPTURE. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES I WOULD IMAGINE THESE FOLKS COME BACK AGAIN. THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WHENEVER WE ENTER A VENDOR INTO OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM IS, UM, ALWAYS UTILIZING THE SAM.GOV SYSTEM, RIGHT? SO WE ARE CERTAINLY MAKING SURE THAT NO ONE IS, UM, IS ENTERED INTO THE SYSTEM THAT'S SET UP THAT WAY. AND THEN SAM.GOV IS ALSO BAKED INTO OUR, UM, REGULAR PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, DOING A RESPONSIVENESS CHECK FOR OUR VENDORS. OKAY. AND DO CONSULTANTS GET THE SAME TREATMENT WITH THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT AND ANY, UH, THE PARTIES WITH THEIR IN A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT? YES. OUR CONSULTANTS GO THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS TO BE SELECTED, SO. OKAY. YES. GOOD. THANK YOU. UM, LET'S SEE. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO, UH, SEE A COPY OF THAT CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UH, QUESTIONNAIRE THAT, UH, YOU, YOU DO UTILIZE? SURE. WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO HEATHER. I'D LIKE TO JUST, UH, 'CAUSE I WILL TELL YOU, UM, I'M REALLY PLEASED TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE, UM, PARTICIPATING WITH NPI. IT'S A GOOD ONE TO GET THAT CERTIFICATION AND THE AWARD IS VERY IMPORTANT. UH, SO KEEP THAT UP. THAT'S A GREAT, A GREAT STANDARD. THEY WILL HELP YOU KEEP RAISING THE BAR, I THINK. UM, LET'S SEE. AND THEN YOU HAVE ONE UNIFIED DATABASE FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UH, PROCUREMENTS OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? YOU HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES HOW YOU, HOW YOU SCREEN? WE HAVE TWO DATABASES. SO WE HAVE OUR PROCUREMENT, E-PROCUREMENT PLATFORM. OKAY. WHICH IS FOR ANY FORMAL SOLICITATIONS. SO THAT'S 40,000 AND ABOVE. RIGHT. UM, AND THEN OUR MUNI FINANCIAL SYSTEM WOULD CAPTURE ANY OF THE 40 AND BELOW. UM, BUT WE ALSO ARE NOW, UM, DOING SOME WORK WITH THE LOW DOLLAR PURCHASES ON LONG BEACH BUYS. SO WE WILL POSSIBLY BE CAPTURING THOSE TWICE. OKAY. UH, MY LAST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT WE WERE, UM, WE RECEIVED A BRIEFING, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST YEAR, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT PROCUREMENTS LASTING FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. UH, YOU KNOW, MODIFICATION AFTER MODIFICATION AFTER MODIFICATION. HOW DO YOU ALL ADDRESS, UH, THOSE CONTRACTS THAT, UH, PEOPLE JUST WANT TO RE-UP OR THEY HAVEN'T COME BACK TO REVISIT SCOPE PERFORMANCE. THAT'S A LOT OF PART OF OUR FORECASTING EFFORT THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO WE SIT DOWN WITH EVERY DEPARTMENT EVERY YEAR AND WE LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO PROCURE AND ALSO WHAT'S EXPIRING MM-HMM . UM, AND SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE PRETTY CLEAR NOW ON THE MESSAGE THAT WE BRING FORWARD AS THIS IS EXPIRING, LET'S START PLANNING AHEAD, LET'S GET A NEW CONTRACT IN PLACE. UM, SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT LESS OF THOSE EXTENSIONS, UM, AND A LOT MORE OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS BEING COMPLETED BEFORE THOSE ARE EXPIRED. RIGHT. GREAT WORK. MICHELLE'S DOING A GREAT JOB WITH, UM, BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE, THE DEPARTMENTS AHEAD OF TIME. THAT PLANNING PHASE IS REALLY WHAT HELPS WITH THAT. SO WHEN SHE SHOWS UP AT THOSE MEETINGS, SHE'S GOT THE LIST OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GONNA EXPIRE BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A SECRET. RIGHT. AND SO WE HAVE ALL THAT AHEAD OF TIME SO SHE CAN PUT THEM ON THE SPOT AND LET THEM KNOW RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT, HEY, THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN SO THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING THE LAST MINUTE REQUEST, WHICH IS WHAT THEN CAUSES THAT OTHER STUFF. SO, UM, PART OF HOW WE PREVENT THAT IS MICHELLE AND MICHELLE'S ETHICAL, UM, UH, STANDARDS THAT SHE HAS, WHICH I FIND TO BE INCREDIBLE. SO, UM, SHE'S DOING A GREAT JOB IN, IN FINDING WAYS TO BE CREATIVE AND NOT JUST SAYING NO, BUT HELPING THE DEPARTMENT'S PLAN AHEAD SO THAT WE'RE NOT PUT IN THAT POSITION. I, I AGREE WITH YOU TARA. UH, MICHELLE, YOU ARE SMALL BUT MIGHTY, SO THAT'S GOOD. YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THE, IN THE SHORT TIME. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. [00:45:01] UH, VICE CHAIR. UM, TARA, MICHELLE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT'S NICE TO SEE THE WORK THAT THIS COMMISSION, THIS BODY HAS DONE AND SEE THAT IT'S NOW MADE IT TO FRUITION INTO A VALID DOCUMENT. SO IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PROGRESS. AND ALSO, YEAH, THANK YOU TO, UH, MAYOR RICHARDSON FOR HIS, UM, HIS EFFORT IN EXPANDING THE INCLUSION OUTREACH. UM, I THINK WE NEED THAT AS WELL. UM, I HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS CENTERING AROUND YOUR VALUES, UM, FAIRNESS AND EQUITY. UH, SO TARA, I THINK MAYBE I CAN ASK YOU, UM, HOW DOES THE CITY TREAT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE A VERY LARGE BUDGET VERSUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE A SMALLER BUDGET? ARE THEY TREATED THE SAME? UM, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, BUT I'M GONNA TRY AND THEN YOU CAN LET ME KNOW IF I AM. I AM GETTING THERE. BUT, UM, WHEN WE GO AHEAD AND DO THE AVERAGE PROCUREMENT, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UM, WHETHER WE'RE THE CITY IS GOING TO EITHER GET THE BEST VALUE IF IT'S A SERVICE CONTRACT OR WHETHER WE'RE GONNA GET THE LOWEST COST IF IT'S A BID. UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT IT FROM THERE. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY IS IT A BIG ORGANIZATION OR A SMALL ORGANIZATION? IF IT'S A BID, IT'S WHO'S PROVIDING THE LOWEST PRICE. IF IT'S A, UM, AN RFP, IT'S REALLY WHAT'S GONNA BE THE BEST VALUE. AND SO THE BEST VALUE MAY BE IN A SMALLER ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THEY KNOW LONG BEACH BETTER. IT'S A LOCAL ORGANIZATION. UM, BUT WHETHER IT'S BIGGER, SMALL IS REALLY GONNA DEPEND TO THE STAFF IN THAT SITUATION AS TO WHAT IS THE BEST FOR THAT. WE DO HAVE EXTENSIVE LOCAL, UM, PREFERENCE PROGRAM, UM, WHICH WE'RE VERY PROUD OF. MICHELLE'S IMPLEMENTED JUST THIS PAST YEAR, UM, AND EXPANSION OF THAT PROGRAM TO ALLOW FOR, UM, MORE FLEXIBILITIES FOR RFPS TO ALSO HAVE, UM, A PREFERENCE. IN THE PAST IT HAD JUST BEEN AT BIDS. SO WE'VE EXPANDED THAT. WE'VE ALSO EXPANDED THE LOCAL PREFERENCE PROGRAM ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, UH, PROCUREMENTS UNDER $40,000. SO OUR SMALL DOLLAR PURCHASES, SO THE CITY MANAGER AND THE MAYOR HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT LOCAL PREFERENCE IS, UM, IS LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORT IS REALLY THE DIRECTION THE CITY WANTS TO GO. AND TYPICALLY THOSE LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE THE SMALLER ONES, WHICH I THINK THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO, TO GET TO. UM, LET ME KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THERE. UM, THANK YOU. UM, OH, I THINK MICHELLE MIGHT, DID I MISS SOMETHING? I, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK, NOT NECESSARILY THAT WE WOULD TREAT THEM DIFFERENTLY, BUT WE HAVE DEFINITELY TAKEN THE APPROACH OF LOWERING, LOWERING BARRIERS FOR THOSE SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO COMPETE JUST AS WELL AS THE BIGGER ORGANIZATIONS. UM, WE DEFINITELY HEARD FROM THE VENDORS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SOLICITATION PROCESS IS NOT ALWAYS SIMPLE. UM, AND THEY'RE RUNNING A BUSINESS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE AT THE FRONT COUNTER RUNNING THE ACTUAL BUSINESS. SO HOW CAN THEY, YOU KNOW, DO ALL THIS WORK TO PROPOSE ON A SOLICITATION. SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE ALL OF THESE BARRIERS BEING LOWERED HAS BEEN HELPFUL. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, SENDING, UM, SAMIRA, WHO'S OUR OUTREACH COORDINATOR OUT TO ACTUALLY REALLY TALK TO THEM FACE TO FACE AND HELP THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS IS ALSO WHERE I WOULD SAY WE POTENTIALLY MAYBE TREAT THEM DIFFERENTLY. GREAT. UM, THANK YOU. 'CAUSE THAT WAS A, A CONCERN OF MINE. UM, IF THERE'S A FISCAL SPONSOR FOR A NONPROFIT, DO, DOES THE CITY GET INVOLVED WITH THE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CONTRACT? NO, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE, THE, THERE MAY BE A FISCAL SPONSOR, BUT THE ACTUAL AGENCY THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZATION THAT'S MM-HMM . CONTRACTING WITH US, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING, WELL, THEY'RE NOT CONTRACTING, SORRY, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE PROPOSING THAT THEY'RE PROPOSING TO, TO DO THE WORK. HOW THEY'RE INVOLVED WITH THEIR FISCAL AGENT, UM, TYPICALLY DOESN'T BECOME A PART OF THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD, THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD CONSIDER OR IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU, YOU WOULD NOT CONSIDER? UM, IT'S NOT SOMETHING I'D STUDIED, SO CERTAINLY, UM, COULD TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT AND PROVIDE INFORMATION BACK TO HEATHER AT SOME POINT IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU WISHED. I, I ONLY ASK BECAUSE, UM, WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT EQUITY AND FAIRNESS, UM, SOME OF THE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT GO THROUGH A FISCAL SPONSOR, UM, HAVE TO SOMEHOW PAY THOSE FEES BACK. THEY, THEY EAT THOSE FEES. AND TO ME, THAT DOESN'T SEEM VERY FAIR. IT'S NOT A EQUAL PLAYING FIELD, IF YOU WILL, UM, FOR THE SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE A FISCAL SPONSOR. [00:50:02] GOT IT. THANK YOU. MAY I ASK SOME QUESTIONS? YES. I WAS JUST MAKING SURE THAT, UM, OH, YES. OH, OKAY. YES, I'M SORRY. YES. YES. DONE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. OKAY. YEAH. UM, UM, I WANNA JOIN THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS AND CONGRATULATING YOU ON THIS. THIS IS TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS PROGRESS AND I'M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED BY THE AWARDS THAT YOU'VE WON FROM THE, I'M GONNA CALL 'EM PROFESSIONAL ENTITIES, UM, WHO HAVE REVIEWED WHAT YOU'VE, WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING. THAT'S, THAT'S NO SMALL THING. AND, AND, UM, I THINK YOU NEED A PR DEPARTMENT NOW TO SPREAD THAT NEWS AROUND. UM, BUT MEANWHILE, I HAVE A COUPLE, A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANY METRICS, UM, THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US ABOUT THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VENDORS YOU HAVE OR THE NUMBER OF SMALL VENDORS YOU HAVE, OR THE NUMBER OF, OF, UM, OF LOCAL VENDORS THAT YOU HAVE SINCE STARTING THIS? I DON'T HAVE IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD OTHER THAN TO TELL YOU, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A, A BIG INCREASE IN ALL OF THOSE. UM, BUT WE DEFINITELY CAN WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION IN OUR DATABASE AND CAN PROVIDE THAT. YEAH. OKAY. I'M, IF IT WAS, IT WAS AVAILABLE, I THINK IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, ADD A LITTLE OF TO THE, TO THE REPORT, SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S WHY I ASKED FOR IT. UM, AND THEN I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION THAT, THAT I DON'T THINK HAS BEEN ASKED YET, AT LEAST NOT EXACTLY SPECIFICALLY. SO IF WHAT I UNDERSTOOD IS THE, THE REFERENCE TO THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND THOSE VALUES, IT, THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT IS MADE IN THE RFP OR, OR IN THE, UM, IN THE PURCHASE ORDER. IS THAT CORRECT? CURRENTLY IT'S IN THE RFP DOCUMENT AND IN THE BID DOCUMENT, UM, WE ARE WORKING TO GET IT ON THE PURCHASE ORDER THAT IS COMING SOON. OKAY. AND WOULD THAT MEAN IT'S ALSO GONNA GO INTO THE CONTRACT THAT THE CITY HAS IF IT'S, IF IT'S USING A FORMAL CONTRACT? YEAH. SO THE RFP OR THE BID DOCUMENT IS ATTACHED AND BECOMES A PART OF THE CONTRACT. SO ANY PROCUREMENT THAT'S OVER $40,000, THAT INCLUDES A, UM, AN RFP OR A BID, IT'S ALREADY ENCOMPASSED INTO THE CONTRACT. I SEE. OKAY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MORALES, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER P*****K. UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND I WANNA CHAIR, SORRY. HUH? CHAIR . SURE. UM, I WANNA RESTATE, UH, THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED. UM, I DID TRY TO DIG IN ON YOUR WEBSITE AND IT APPEARS THAT IN ORDER TO GET ACCESS TO ACTIVE RFPS, I HAVE TO REGISTER AS A SUPPLIER. IS THAT CORRECT? YOU CAN VIEW THEM WITHOUT REGISTERING, BUT IN ORDER TO GET ANY INFORMATION ON THEM, YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE REGISTERED. SO ANY UPDATES OR TO BE ABLE TO PROPOSE ON IT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO ACTUALLY REGISTER AS A VENDOR. OKAY. YEAH, I'D, I'D, I'D LOVE TO FIND OUT HOW. 'CAUSE I, I COULDN'T FIGURE THAT OUT. UM, AND AS A CONSEQUENCE THOUGH, I WAS LOOKING FOR RFPS TO SEE THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THIS PARTICULAR PROVISION APPEARED. AND I LOOKED AT RFPS ON AWARDED CONTRACTS IN THE CONTRACTS ONLINE DATABASE. UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY, I ASSUME THOSE RFPS PREDATE YOUR INCORPORATION OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT. I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND THE, THIS PARTICULAR PROVISION ANYWHERE IN AWARDING IN AWARDED CONTRACTS LOOKING. IF IT WAS BEFORE 2023, THEN YES. UM, WELL, THEY WERE AWARDED, NO, ACTUALLY I LOOKED AT CONTRACTS AWARDED, UH, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2024 TO FEBRUARY 1ST, 2025. I DIDN'T LOOK AT ALL OF THEM, BUT I LOOKED AT A SAMPLING OF THOSE AND DIDN'T FIND THIS PROVISION. BUT I SUSPECT THAT THE RFPS ARE OLD. I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHEN THE RFPS WERE ISSUED. AND THAT MIGHT BE THE, THE, THE ISSUE THERE. BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE YOU A COPY OF OUR TEMPLATE AND HOW IT'S USED AND WHERE THE INFORMATION IS. THAT'D BE WONDERFUL. OR IF I COULD JUST GET ONLINE ACCESS. I COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A, WHEN I CLICKED ON THE LINK THAT YOU PROVIDED, I COULDN'T GO FORWARD OR BACKWARD. IT WAS JUST THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE INCREASED [00:55:01] WITH OUR OUTREACH WAS TO DEVELOP AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR WHO SPECIFICALLY JUST WALKS FOLKS THROUGH HOW TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU TRIED TO DO. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THERE'S AN INFORMATION LINE RIGHT THERE, THERE'S A PHONE NUMBER, AND YOU CONTACT THIS WONDERFUL GENTLEMAN WILL, WHO IS INCREDIBLY PATIENT, AND HE WALKS YOU THROUGH HOW TO DO IT. AND IF YOU WERE A NEW BUSINESS OWNER WHO WANTED TO DO IT, AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WILL CAN LIKE LITERALLY GO FROM THE POINT OF PLUG THE COMPUTER IN AND WALK YOU ALL THE WAY THROUGH DOWNLOADING, REGISTERING, AND HOW TO DO ALL OF THAT. AND, UM, WE CAN ALSO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION TO YOU AS WELL. OKAY. THANKS A LOT. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, UH, I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION. OH, CAN AN ORGANIZATION OUTSIDE OF THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICES? SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD, UM, A DISCUSSION, UH, COUPLE OF YEARS AGO ABOUT A SERVICES CONTRACT ENTERED INTO BY THE CITY AUDITOR. THE CITY AUDITOR'S OFFICE INDICATED THAT THEY GENERALLY FOLLOW THE, THE SAME PROCUREMENT PROCESSES, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS THEN IMPLEMENTED BY YOUR PEOPLE. IT'S NOT. WE, WE DON'T OVERSEE THAT, BUT JUST AS YOU SAID, UM, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL OF THE NON-CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENTS, SO UTILITIES, THE HARBOR AS WELL. UM, ALL OF THEM, WELL, HARBOR HAS, HAS A DIFFERENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS, BUT LIKE UTILITIES, THEY ALL PRETTY MUCH FALL FOLLOW KIND OF WHAT WE DO IN CENTRAL PROCUREMENT. SO, UM, I DON'T SEE THAT THERE'S MUCH DIFFERENCE, BUT ULTIMATELY WE DON'T HAVE THE JURISDICTION TO OVERSEE THEIR PROCESS. SO YOUR DEPARTMENT IS DUPLICATED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE CITY? I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, THEY COME TO OUR TRAININGS AND THEY DO TAKE, TAKE OUR, WHAT WE DO AS BEST PRACTICE FOR THE MOST PART. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL. THANKS. YEAH, I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF FOLLOW UPS. UH, I THINK, UM, I THINK COMMISSIONER P*****K OR VICE CHAIRMAN, CHAIR P*****K, UH, JUST ADDRESSED ONE. AND THAT BEING, UM, YOU ARE, UH, YOU ARE SHARING BEST PRACTICES WITH THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION IS, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE EXPOSURE IS WITHIN THE CITY, UH, BUT IT WOULD BE HIGHER EXPOSURE, I'M SURE WITH THE PORT IS, YOU KNOW, AN EMPHASIS ON FCPA COMPLIANCE AND CHECKS FOR F-F-C-P-A COMPLIANCE. UH, IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM COMMISSIONER DAVID THIS, SHE REFERRED TO LOOKING AT THE SAM DATABASE FOR SANCTIONS. UH, BUT IS THERE OTHER CHECKS TO ENSURE, AND I'M, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO ANSWER IT HERE TODAY, BUT JUST I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU IF YOU DON'T TO HAVE OTHER CHECKS TO ENCOURAGE, TO ENSURE FCPA COMP, FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES AT COMPLIANCE, UH, FOR THINGS LIKE, UH, POLITICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS OR EVEN, YOU KNOW, JUST ADVERSE MEDIA THAT'S OUT THERE WITH REGARD TO POTENTIAL, UH, VENDORS THAT OTHERWISE YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. SO RIGHT NOW, GFOA AND, UM, JUST, AND NIGP AND REGULAR, UM, UH, GOVERNMENT FINANCE ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS FROM OMB AND EVERYTHING ELSE REQUIRES THE SAM.GOV. UM, CHECK. WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT, UM, THE OTHER, UH, TOOLS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND, AND SEE IF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, TO SEE THE LEGAL SIDE OF THAT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE SUPER CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE WOULD ACTUALLY GO AHEAD AND IMPLEMENT IT AND WHAT WE WOULD BE DOING FROM EXCLUDING SOMEONE AND LEGALLY EXCLUDING THEM, UM, WHICH WOULD BE KIND OF LIKE OUR OWN PERSONAL DEBARMENT. UM, SO WE'D HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO BE SUPER CAREFUL ABOUT THAT, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S DUE PROCESS AND EVERYTHING ELSE BECAUSE JUST CLAIMS THAT ARE FOUND ONLINE, UM, VERSUS ACTUAL, EXCUSE ME, VERSUS ACTUAL DEBARMENT, WHICH IS A, A SEPARATE PROCESS. UH, SO THERE'S, THERE'S SOME WORK AND SOME STUFF TO, TO TEASE OUT FROM THERE. UM, IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANTED TO RECOMMEND, THEN, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, UH, CERTAINLY LOOK INTO. I WOULD JUST CAVEAT THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, BASE IT ON YOUR, ON THE CITY'S EXPOSURE IN TERMS OF THE NATURE OF THE CITY'S OPERATIONS. I CAN IMAGINE THE PORT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY, CITY MAY NOT HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF EXPOSURE, ESPECIALLY WITH OTHER REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CITY IS ADHERING TO POSSIBLY TO PROCURE LOCALLY AND TO PE PROCURE WITHIN THE STATE, THINGS ALONG THAT LINE. SO IT WAS JUST A SUGGESTION. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. AND JUST ONE FOLLOW UP, I KNOW THE, I I THINK YOU, YOU [01:00:01] DESCRIBED THE RFP AS A INTERNAL MECHANISM. CORRECT. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THE GREAT WORK OF, UH, SMAR AND WILL FOR BOTH ON OUTREACH AND THEN, UM, KIND OF WALKING INDIVIDUALS THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. BUT I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE LARGER KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TWO SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES OF HOW DO YOU, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH OUR DEPARTMENT TRAININGS FOR KIND OF A BROADER, I KNOW WILL PROBABLY HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO 'EM, BUT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, IN A KIND OF A, A LARGER GROUP PROCESS. ARE ANY OF THOSE TRAININGS AVAILABLE FOR FOLKS OR SMALLER BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, ET CETERA, THAT MAY WANT TO CONTRACT WITH THE CITY? UM, WE DO, WE HOST THE, IT'S CALLED, WE CALL IT THIRD THURSDAY. SO IT'S A WEBINAR THAT WE HOST EVERY THURSDAY, UM, AT 11:00 AM EVERY THIRD THURSDAY AT 11:00 AM IT IS VIRTUAL. UM, AND FOR ALL OF THOSE, WE INVITE THE VENDOR TO COMMUNITY TO COME AND IT'S 45 MINUTES OF US GOING BASICALLY WITH EVERY STEP OF HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, AS WELL AS WE INVITE, UM, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO TALK ABOUT ANY RESOURCES THAT THEY MAY BE ABLE TO UTILIZE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, TO HELP THEM WITH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. UM, AND WE ALSO INVITE DEPARTMENTS TO COME. SO EACH MONTH WE HAVE A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT TO COME TO KIND OF FORECAST OUT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO PROCURE. SO THAT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE, WITHOUT BEING THE ONE-ON-ONE THAT SAMIR AND WILL DO, UM, THAT'S HOW WE CAN REACH A BROAD, UM, SET OF VENDORS EVERY SINGLE MONTH. AND WE'RE, WE'RE HOVERING IN THE 75 TO A HUNDRED RANGE EVERY MONTH, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW, SO. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, ANY FURTHER? YES, COMMISSIONER DEBA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, JUST FOR MY UNDERSTANDING AND EDUCATION, YOU, YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE OTHER PROCUREMENT OR ORGANIZATIONS, OBVIOUSLY, HARBOR, ET CETERA. HOW MANY OTHERS ARE THERE THAT THEY COULD BENEFIT FROM OR DO BENEFIT, I KNOW FROM TRAINING, BUT HOW MANY OTHER, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DO PROCUREMENTS? SO THE HARBOR DEPARTMENT HAS ITS OWN PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY. MM-HMM . AND UTILITIES HAS ITS OWN PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY, AND THEN WE BASICALLY HAVE IT FOR THE CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENTS. AND THEN THE ELECTEDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO UTILIZE OUR PROCESS. AND, UM, THEY'RE VERY SMALL DEPARTMENTS, SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE DOING VERY LARGE PROCUREMENTS TO START WITH. UM, MOST OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE IN THE, THE, THE SMALL DOLLAR AREAS AND THEY SHOULD BE FOLLOWING, UM, THE SIMILAR PRACTICE. THAT'S WHAT THE, THE CITY MANAGER HAS ENCOURAGED IS THAT THEY, THEY FOLLOW THAT PROCESS. UM, I WILL SAY THAT FOR THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT, THAT THEY MIRROR THEIR POLICY AND PRACTICES AFTER HOURS AND THAT THEY UTILIZE THE SAME, UH, PROCUREMENT PLATFORM THAT WE DO. THEY'RE IN LONG BEACH BUYS AND THEY'RE USING OUR SAME FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND THEY JOIN ALL OF OUR EFFORTS AS FAR AS OUTREACH AND ARE HAPPY TO PARTNER, UM, AND PARTICIPATE WITH, UH, MOST OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THEY HAVE THE SAME GOALS AND INITIATIVES AND, AND SIMILAR THOUGHTS FOR, UM, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. INTERESTING. UM, YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE, UH, TO ME IT WOULD BE RECOMMENDED THAT, UH, THE ELECTED FOLLOW, UH, THE PROCESS OR EVEN ADOPT, UH, UH, THE MECHANISM FOR EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS AND ALSO TRANSPARENCY. WE TALKED ABOUT TRANSPARENCY, UH, THAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, EVERYBODY COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY THERE ARE, MAYBE THERE'S LOTS OF THEM, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE ONE THAT WAS TROUBLING TO ALL OF US WAS ONE THAT WAS, UH, DONE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY MANAGER'S, UM, UH, PROCESSES. SO. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND IT, UH, TEACHES ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE DO BUSINESS. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. IF NOT, WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM MAY APPROACH. FIRST, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR DOING THIS. THIS VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. HOWEVER, I DID DO A DOCUMENT RECORDS REQUEST FOR CONTRACTS UNDER THE SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND MONEY, AND REQUESTED THE THREE CONTRACTS THAT WERE ENTERED INTO ASKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THE VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT THAT WAS SIGNED OFF. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THERE. AND I HEAR YOU SAY THAT IT'S PART OF THE PURCHASE ORDER AND THE RFPI WENT THROUGH THE CONTRACT. IT DOESN'T SHOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT BEING INCORPORATED. I WAS ALSO PARTICULARLY CONCERNED BECAUSE ONE OF THE VENDORS THAT WAS CHOSEN, UM, NOT ONLY WAS VERY ACTIVE THE LAST 15 MONTHS IN PROTESTS, WHICH SAID SOME PRETTY VILE AND HATRED THINGS TOWARDS CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THEY, I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA START CRYING, BUT THEY ALSO USED [01:05:01] A FISCAL SPONSOR THAT ON THE WEBSITE SAYS, TAKES 15% FEE UP FRONT AND FEE UPFRONT AND PROVIDES ALL THEIR CONNECTIONS AND WORK. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S IN KEEPING WITH THE VENDOR'S CODE OF CONDUCT AND USING THINGS LOCALLY. SO I WOULD ASK, WHERE ARE THE SIGN OFF ON THE VENDOR'S CODE OF CONDUCT? AND IF YOU HAVE A FISCAL SPONSOR, DOES THAT FISCAL SPONSOR ALSO HAVE TO COMPLY WITH IT? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I'M PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT I REALLY HOPE IT HAPPENS. 'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE DIRECTION AND WILL REALLY HELP THE CITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE OLYMPICS COMING UP TO MAKE SURE THAT THE VENDORS THAT YOU WORK WITH, YOUR THIRD PARTIES ARE NOT THE ONES THAT PAINT THE CITY WITH SCANDAL AND DOING THINGS THAT ARE VERY HURTFUL TO CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION. THANK YOU. CLERK, MAY YOU PLEASE CALL THE VOTE. UM, JUST BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE VOTE, I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE ZOOM AS WELL. OH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER NORVIG. AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIED. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM THREE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A BIANNUAL UPDATE FROM THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT PROGRAM. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND ON THIS ITEM? I'LL MOVE. I'LL SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOTION, UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER WISE, HAS BEEN SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. I WILL TURN IT OVER STAFF [3. 25-54342 Recommendation to receive and file a biannual update from the Public Records Act Program.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] FOR THE REPORT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'LL, UH, PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PRA PROGRAM UPDATES. UM, SO MAIN THING TODAY IS ACTUALLY JUST FOCUSING ON SOME DATA POINTS THAT I KNOW OF OUR ARE OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION. UM, LAST TIME WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE GOV QA CAPABILITIES AND SOME OF THE SOFTWARE, BUT, UH, TODAY WE'LL JUST FOCUS ON SOME OF THE CURRENT PENDING PRAS CITYWIDE, UM, AND HOW MANY DAYS SOME OF THOSE HAVE BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, ONGOING. AND THEN, UM, GIVEN OVERVIEW ALSO OF SOME OF THE KEY IMPACTS, UH, TO SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTS, ESPECIALLY SHOWING, UM, THERE ARE A FEW DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF PRAS THAT THEY'RE GETTING. UM, JUST SO YOU GET A SENSE OF JUST THE SCALE OF THIS, UH, PROCESS THAT WE'RE ENGAGED IN HERE AT THE CITY. UH, SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER 200 OPEN PRAS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE AMOUNT OF PRAS THAT HAVE BEEN OPENED MORE THAN 30 DAYS OR MORE THAN 60 OR 90 DAYS. UM, AND THIS, I'M VERY PROUD HAS, UM, DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO, UM, DUE THE HARD WORK OF, UM, YOU KNOW, APRIL WHEN SHE WAS IN THIS POSITION, BUT ALSO, UH, MEGAN AND SAM AND OUR, THE FOLKS THAT WORK ON THE PS ACROSS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE LOOKING AT THIS DATA JUST A YEAR OR TWO AGO, IT WOULD BE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT WE SEE TODAY. UM, WHERE WE ONLY HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, A HANDFUL OF PRAS THAT HAVE BEEN OPEN MORE THAN 30 OR 60, UM, DAYS, AND THEN ONLY A COUPLE THAT ARE OVER 90. UH, SO OF THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN OPENED, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN 30 DAYS, WE DO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME PRAS WHERE WE'RE, WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, UH, STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE RECORDS TO RESPOND TO, UM, THE REQUEST. SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE ACTUALLY TO JUST FIND THE, ALL THE RECORDS THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE REQUEST, SO IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN EXPECTED. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, MOST OF THE LONGER OPENED PRAS ARE, UM, ONES WHERE WE'RE PROVIDING RECORDS ON A ROLLING BASIS. SO I KNOW WE'VE SPOKEN BEFORE ABOUT HOW SOMETIMES WE GET RATHER LARGE PRA REQUESTS AND THEY MAY BE OPEN FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME JUST BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GO IN AND FIND THE RECORDS AND ALSO REDACT THEM TAKES TIME. UM, AND THEN WE PROVIDE THOSE USUALLY ON A ROLLING BASIS. SO THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS A, A MAJORITY OF THOSE OPEN PRAS ARE, UM, BEING RESPONDED TO, BUT JUST WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO GET THEM COMPLETELY CLOSED OUT. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE JUST SORT OF THE NORMAL, UH, DAY-TO-DAY TYPE OF STUFF AS WELL WHERE WE ARE WORKING WITH STAFF TO CLOSE OUT ANY, UM, PRAS THAT ARE OPEN BUT MAYBE, UM, HAVE ALREADY BEEN RESPONDED TO AS WELL. AND THIS IS THE BEST SLIDE, I THINK ZERO PRAS THAT HAVE BEEN OPEN FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. SO AGAIN, UM, THIS IS [01:10:01] DUE TO ALL THE HARD WORK, UH, OF THE PRA TEAM, BUT THEN THE, THE TEAMS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIVE TO THESE REQUESTS. UM, AND JUST SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT, LIKE I MENTIONED, UM, AT THE OUTSET, WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT, UM, LOAD FOR PRAS WITH A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS. SO I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE OF, UH, INTEREST TO YOU ALL TO SEE SOME OF THE THREE YEAR AVERAGES. UM, AND THE DEPARTMENTS WHERE WE SEE THE MOST AMOUNT OF PRA REQUESTS, UM, THOSE INCLUDE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WHERE WE SEE ALMOST A THOUSAND, UH, PRA REQUESTS ANNUALLY. SO THIS COULD BE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS INCLUDING LIKE CODE ENFORCEMENT, UM, INVESTIGATIONS AND INSPECTIONS. UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT GETS, UM, A LITTLE OVER 800 ANNUALLY AS WELL. AND THIS IS ABOUT A QUARTER OF ALL OF OUR PRAS, UM, THAT WE'RE MANAGING GO THROUGH THE, UM, WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND THEN CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE ALSO, UM, SEES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PRAS AND WE ALSO ASSIST IN COORDINATING THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT PRAS WITH THE, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL OFFICES. SO THOSE THREE DEPARTMENTS ARE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO PRAS WHERE WE SEE, UM, CONSISTENTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, HIGH AMOUNT OF PRA REQUESTS COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. UM, AND THEN THE LAST POINT HERE, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IS PUBLIC WORKS ALSO GETS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT AND, UH, LARGE PRA REQUESTS THAT SOMETIMES TAKE A WHILE TO GET THROUGH. THEY'RE USUALLY, UM, THE NEXT IN LINE IN THAT LIST. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL THOSE DEPARTMENTS AND ANY OF THE, THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT RECEIVE PRAS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND AND TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT THEM, UH, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE REQUESTS ARE. AND AS MENTIONED ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, STRATEGIZING WITH THEM IS HOW DO WE GET RECORDS OUT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO DO THAT AND DO THAT ON A ROLLING BASIS. UM, ANOTHER THING I KNOW THAT HAS BEEN OF INTEREST IN SOME OF OUR CONVERSATIONS IS THE, THE RECORDS RETENTION. UM, SO JUST FIGURED THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KEEP AS AN ONGOING DATA POINT, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE YEAR IN YEAR OUT, UH, KIND OF THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF RECORD AND RETENTION DESTRUCTION OR TRANSFERS. UM, I KNOW WE MENTIONED LAST TIME THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RECORDS, UH, DESTRUCTION AND TRANSFERS BEFORE THE MOVE OVER TO THIS NEW CITY HALL. UM, AND THEN SINCE THEN, UH, WE CONTINUE CONTINUED TO SEE THROUGH THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND REGULAR COUNSEL AGENDA ITEMS ALMOST ON A REGULAR, YOU KNOW, WEEK BY WEEK BASIS, UH, DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE WORKING THROUGH THEIR RETENTION, UH, POLICY AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH EITHER DESTRUCTION OF OLD RECORDS OR TRANSFERRING THOSE TO STORAGE. AND WITH THAT, UM, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, TYLER. I, I BELIEVE IT WAS ONE OF MY FIRST MEETINGS WHERE THE PRAS OVER SIX MONTHS WAS NOT ZERO, SO IT WAS REALLY, UM, QUITE ENCOURAGING TO SEE THAT NUMBER BE ZERO. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY, UM, COMMISSIONERS ANY DISCUSSION? THANK YOU TYLER. A COUPLE OF FOLLOW UPS REALLY APPRECIATE THE REPORT AND THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEING HAS BEEN MADE. UH, I THOUGHT I KNEW THIS, BUT SOMETHING YOU JUST SAID I WAS, UH, NOT CERTAIN. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE DESTRUCTION AND TRANSFER AND I THINK YOU SAID TRANSFER TO THEIR LONG-TERM STORAGE REPOSITORY. YEAH, WE HAVE OFFSITE STORAGE WHERE THEY CAN TRANSFER IF, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO HAVE THEM ON HAND IN ONE OF OUR OFFICES HERE. UM, BUT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A, A NEED TO KEEP THEM ON HAND FOR ANY RECORDS REQUEST THAT COMES LATER. UM, YOU KNOW, SO EITHER WE ARE ABLE UNDER THE POLICY TO DESTROY THEM DEPENDING ON THE TIMELINE OR IF WE NEED TO KEEP THEM. UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE ROOM FOR THEM. WE CAN BRING THEM TO OFFITE STORAGE. I JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT ARE TRANSFERRED ARE ALSO GOING THROUGH A SIMILAR PROCESS OF BEING DESTROYED AT THE END OF THEIR RECORD LIFE. YES. YEAH. SO THE SAME PROCESS, UH, IS APPLYING TO TRANSFER AND DOES THE, IF SOMETHING'S BEEN TRANSFERRED, DOES IT SHOW UP IN THE DESTRUCTION AND SOMETHING'S BEEN TRANSFERRED, THEN IT'S SUBJECT TO DESTRUCTION, UH, LEGALLY. DOES, DOES IT SHOW UP AS A DESTRUCTION ON THE DESTRUCTION COLUMN OR IS THERE A THIRD DESTRUCTION COLUMN? NO, THAT WOULD BE EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IN THE DESTRUCTION COLUMN WHEN THEY'RE ACTUALLY DESTROYED. OKAY. AND THEY WOULD GO THROUGH THE SAME COUNSEL LETTER PROCESS WHERE IT WOULD LIST THE, THE TYPES OF RECORDS THAT ARE BEING DESTROYED. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION IS LIKE, SO I THINK IN YOU HAD A COUPLE CASES REFERRING TO SLIDE FOUR WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT SEEMED TO BE MORE THAT STAFF WAS JUST HAVING DIFFICULT GETTING TIME OR THERE WAS [01:15:01] REMINDERS GOING TO STAFF. I JUST, IS THE MANAGEMENT IN THOSE PARTICULAR ORGANIZATIONS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE? NOT NECESSARILY THE STAFF, BUT THE MANAGEMENT? IT COULD BE THAT THE, YOU KNOW, STAFF JUST DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE, YOU KNOW, DAY, THE TIME, HOURS IN THE DAY TO BE ABLE TO GET IT DONE. BUT IS THE MANAGEMENT IN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE? YEAH, SO, UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT, WHAT'S A GOOD PROCESS FOR US TO ENGAGE, UM, THE DEPARTMENTS AS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, RESPONDING TO PRAS, SOME THAT ARE OUTSTANDING LONGER THAN WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE RESPOND AND KIND OF WORK WITH THOSE TEAMS. SO TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IS MORE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. WE TRY TO WORK WITH THOSE STAFF, MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT THEY MIGHT NEED, BUT WE ALSO INCLUDE OFTENTIMES THE, UM, THE MANAGER OR THE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT JUST SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THIS ISSUE. AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS TO POTENTIALLY, UM, FORMALIZE THAT PROCESS A LITTLE BIT MORE. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S MORE, UM, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME BACKLOG THAT WE DID, YOU KNOW, A YEAR OR TWO AGO, IT'S MORE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. BUT WE, UM, RECOGNIZE ALSO TO YOUR POINT, I THINK THE, THE NEED AND INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT MANAGEMENT IS LOOPED IN, THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF ANY CHALLENGES. UM, AND THAT HELPS NOT ONLY TO HOPEFULLY EXPEDITE THE RESPONSE TO THE RECORDS REQUEST, BUT ALSO TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR MORE CAPACITY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND. SO SOME OF THE CHALLENGE IN, IN THE KEY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE OUTLINED, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY'RE GETTING HUNDREDS IF NOT ALMOST A THOUSAND PRAS PER YEAR, UM, A LOT OF IT REALLY IS JUST A, A LACK OF CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO SPEND THE TIME TO DO RECORDS REQUESTS ON A, YOU KNOW, LIKE A FULL-TIME BASIS ESSENTIALLY. SO, UM, I THINK LOOPING IN THE, THE MANAGEMENT AND THE DIRECTORS IS HELPFUL IN THAT WAY AS WELL SO THAT THEY CAN LOOK AT IT FROM A BUDGETING AND, AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION STANDPOINT LONG TERM. UH, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO FORMALIZE AND, AND TRY TO FIND NEW WAYS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, GET RESPONSES QUICKLY, UM, BUT MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONER MORALE? UH, COMMISSIONER MORALES, THANK YOU VICE CHAIR. TYLER, I APPRECIATE HOW MUCH WORK YOU HAVE DONE TO GET THIS PULLED TOGETHER AND ALSO THE ANALYTICS THAT YOU'VE DONE. WHAT I'M WONDERING IS IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS WHERE YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF REQUESTS, HAVE YOU DONE ANY RESEARCH TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY TYPE OF SIMILARITY ON THE TYPES OF DOCUMENTS THAT ARE BEING REQUESTED? AND MAYBE THOSE DOCUMENTS COULD BE PUT ON A TRANSPARENT WEBSITE SO PEOPLE COULD BE DIRECTED THERE AND TAKE AWAY THE NEED FOR STAFF RESOURCES? UM, NOT SPECIFICALLY, BUT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT RECOMMENDATION. UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE FIND THAT WE DO GET RECORDS REQUESTS WHERE SOME OF THE INFORMATION, IF NOT ALL OF IT, IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. AND SO WE DO TAKE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE LIKE, OH, WELL HERE'S HOW TO NAVIGATE AAR, OR WELL IN THIS CASE, UH, OUR NEW, UM, YOU KNOW, MEETING SOFTWARE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO FIND WHERE THIS INFORMATION IS FOR A COUNCIL ACTION, FOR EXAMPLE. UM, SO WE DO TAKE THE TIME USUALLY TO, UM, SHOW REQUESTERS IF INFORMATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, WHERE TO FIND IT AND HOW TO KIND OF NAVIGATE THOSE RESOURCES. BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, QUESTION AS WELL IS THAT WE CAN THINK MORE STRATEGICALLY IF THERE ARE PATTERNS WHERE, UM, CERTAIN TYPES OF INFORMATION ARE PUBLIC RECORDS, THERE'S AN INTEREST IN THEM, AND WE'RE GETTING MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF INFORMATION. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, I DON'T KNOW OFFHAND KIND OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, BUT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT RECOMMENDATION SO I CAN BRING THAT BACK TO THE TEAM AND SEE IF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE IS SOME PATTERNS AND ESPECIALLY IN THE DEPARTMENTS WHERE THEY'RE SEEING HUNDREDS OF PRA REQUESTS THAT YEAH. COULD BE A REALLY GOOD WAY TO, UM, MITIGATE SOME OF THE STAFF IMPACTS. EXACTLY. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER WISE, DO YOU HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? NO, JUST TO SAY, I THINK THE PROGRESS IS EXCELLENT, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW OR DIAL STAR NINE OF CALLING IN. AND IF THERE'S ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE IN THE ZOOM THAT, UM, PER YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. I JUST WANNA SAY LEAD CHARLIE, DISTRICT ONE. UM, I'VE USED THIS PUBLIC REQUEST IN 2024. I MADE 10 PUBLIC REQUESTS AND IT'S ASTOUNDING. AMAZING. [01:20:01] AND THE DUE DILIGENCE AND THE HARD WORK THAT THEY DO IS, IS AMAZING. THE QUESTION I WAS ASKING, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO ASK A QUESTION, IS WHEN YOU MAKE A PUBLIC REQUEST, I GOT ALL THE CITY CLERK'S EMAILS TO A CERTAIN COUNCILWOMAN FOR THE ENTIRE, FOR A CERTAIN ISSUE, AND I GOT ALL OF THEM, BUT THEN THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WERE DELETED AND OMITTED AND WE, UM, IS THERE A WAY TO GET A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY THAT ALL THE EMAILS ARE 'CAUSE OF 132 EMAILS? SOME OF 'EM SAID DELETED, DELETED, DELETED. SO IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHY WAS THIS EMAIL DELETED? THAT KIND OF THING. SO, UM, BUT I DO REC DO ANYBODY THAT HAS ANY QUESTION, GETTING A PUBLIC REQUEST IS AMAZING, BUT I AM NOTING A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY AT THE BOTTOM THAT CERTAIN THINGS HAVE BEEN DELETED AND THEN IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHY WAS IT DELETED? WHAT IS IT MISSING? WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE? SO, UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, AND I, UM, GOT 132 EMAILS FROM THE CITY CLERK TO A CERTAIN COUNCIL PERSON AND, AND, UH, EIGHT EMAILS WERE DELETED. AND I WAS LIKE, WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT, WHAT? AND IT WASN'T PRIVATE. THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION. SO I KNOW THAT THOSE EIGHT, EIGHT EMAILS, BUT THOSE EMAILS WERE SENT TO THE DA, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT LATER. BUT, UH, I JUST THINK THEY DO A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. AND THERE WAS NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON ZOOM, CORRECT? CORRECT. AND CLERK, CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE? COMMISSIONER VE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. I RECEIVED YOUR AYE. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MORALES. AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AYE. CHAIR POLLACK AYE. MOTION CARRIES. UM, WE ARE GOING TO LAY OVER ITEM FOUR AS THIS REPORT MUST GO TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S, UH, OFFICES FIRST, AND IT HAS NOT DONE SO YET. DO WE NEED TO TAKE A MOTION IF WE'RE LAYING IT OVER, WE'LL NEED A MOTION TO LAY IT OVER TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OR TO A DATE CERTAIN. UM, AND THEN WE'LL VOTE ON THAT. OKAY. WE WILL LAY IT OVER TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR NOW. UM, CAN WE GET A MOTION AND A SECOND PLEASE? AND AS A REMINDER, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE VIRTUAL ATTENDEES BE DOING THAT VERBALLY. I'LL, I'LL MOVE MORALES MOVES. I'LL SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DEBIAN DICKUS. UM, LET'S CALL FOR THE VOTE. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT PERTAINING TO THE LAID OVER ITEM? SEEING NONE IN THE ZOOM AND IN PERSON THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR. COMMISSIONER NORWAY AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM FIVE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. MAY I HAVE A MO MOTION AND SECOND ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE MOVE I SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DEUS. I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO THE STAFF FOR THE REPORT. [5. 25-54355 Recommendation to receive and file amendments to the Conflict of Interest Code regarding Economic Development.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] HELLO, COMMISSIONER. CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, SO, UH, TODAY, UH, WE ARE PRESENTING A COI AMENDMENT, UH, FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS A STANDARD, UM, YOU KNOW, RECEIVING FILE, UH, NOTIFYING THE COMMISSION THAT THE FOLLOWING, UM, POSITIONS ARE BEING ADDED OR EDITED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. COMMISSIONER MORALES. THERE WE GO. PHILLIP, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION. WHAT IS A MANAGER PEER? H UH, MORE LIKELY IT IS, UM, SOMEBODY THAT HELPS MANAGE THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION. UH, UNFORTUNATELY OUR OFFICE IS UNABLE TO, YOU KNOW, ANSWER THE SPECIFICS OF THE POSITION DUTIES AND, UH, AND RESPONSIBILITIES. UM, WE MERELY WORK WITH THEM, UH, ONCE THEY HAVE NOTIFIED US THAT, YOU KNOW, A POSITION HAS FALLEN WITHIN THE SCOPE OF FORM 700 FILING REQUIREMENT, THEN TYPICALLY IT'S SOME SORT OF MANAGERIAL OR HIGHER POSITION THAT HAS SOME SORT OF CONTROL OVER, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENTAL DECISIONS OR FUNDS. COULD YOU GO BACK AND ASK THEM FOR US, PLEASE? WE CAN MAKE A REQUEST, UH, TO THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. I, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL 'CAUSE THAT IT'S GOOD FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE POSITIONS ARE AND THEY DO TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FIT INTO THE, [01:25:01] UM, CONFLICT OF INTEREST OVERALL SCOPE FOR THE CITY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, SO AM I HEARING THAT WE WOULD WANT TO BRING THIS ITEM BACK BASED ON YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER MORALES? I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE CAN REALLY HOLD IT BECAUSE IS IT SCHEDULED? THEY'RE USUALLY SCHEDULED TO GO TO THE COUNCIL RIGHT AFTER THEY COME TO US, RIGHT, PHILIP? UH, YES. WE'LL SCHEDULE THIS FOR THE NEXT AVAILABLE, UM, UH, UH, UH, MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL. I THINK, I THINK IN THIS CASE I'M COMFORTABLE WITH LETTING IT GO AS LONG AS PHILIP CAN GET INFORMATION FROM THEM. AND IN THE FUTURE, JUST ASK THEM IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT WITHIN THE NORMAL SCOPE OF, OF A CLASSIFICATION THAT WE NORMALLY SEE. IF THEY COULD GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. THAT'S MORE THAN, UH, UH, WE'RE MORE THAN ABLE TO MAKE THAT REQUEST. FOR YOU. IS IT POSSIBLE TO VOTE JUST ON THE OTHER TWO POSITIONS AND NOT THIS PARTICULAR POSITION I WAS HAD SIMILAR CONCERNS THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER MORALES HAS OR IS THERE A REASON WHY IT CAN'T, THE CITY CAN'T WAIT TILL AFTER WE VOTE ON IT, SAY NEXT MONTH FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE? UH, THE REASON WHY WE MOVE SO QUICKLY WITH THE COI AMENDMENTS IS, UH, PER THE F PC'S GUIDELINES THAT WE WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE THE, THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE OR THE COI IS UPDATED IN A TIMELY MANNER. UM, OKAY, UH, THAT TYPICALLY FALLS WITHIN A WEEK, UH, OR I'M SORRY, A MONTH. UM, AND SO WITH HOW THE COMMISSION MEETS, UM, THE TIMING IS, UH, IS ADVERSARIAL TO THAT, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO GO AHEAD AND VOTE IT OUT AND THEN IF WE LEARN THAT, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EXEMPTED, THEN TO FILE AN AMENDMENT TO THAT AND TO, UH, REMOVE OR ADD BACK IN THE MANAGER PEER AGE COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? I, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT WE WOULD BE BETTER SERVED TO LEAVE IT IN. I, I'D RATHER ERR ON HAVING SOMEBODY IN THERE THAT SHOULDN'T BE IN THERE SO THAT THEY'RE REPORTING ON A MORE TIMELY BASIS THAN TO LEAVE THEM OUT AND HAVE THEM BE IN THE POSITION FOR A, A MONTH OR TWO WITHOUT HAVING FILED THE REPORT. I THINK IF WE COME BACK AND WE ARE, WE THINK THAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE IN THERE, THEN WE COULD ALWAYS ASK THEM TO AMEND IT OUT AT A LATER DATE. THAT I WOULD AGREE. AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING. AND I MAY HAVE HAD THE DIRECTION GOING. I WAS TRYING TO BE MORE OVER-INCLUSIVE AND MAYBE I HAD, SO I AGREE WITH YOU TO THE GO AHEAD. I JUST, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS POSITION SPECIFICALLY, WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE, ACCORDING TO THE PORT'S WEBSITE, PIER H IS THE PEER, THE AREA WHERE THE HOTEL, THE CRUISE TERMINALS AND THE QUEEN MARY ARE. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO I IMAGINE THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY GOING ON ASSOCIATED WITH PEER H, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS INDIVIDUAL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WITHIN THAT. I, AND I DO APPRECIATE WHAT COMMISSIONER, UH, MORALES SAID ABOUT YEAH, BEING OVER-INCLUSIVE. I WAS ACTUALLY GOING THE OTHER DIRECTIONS IN TERMS OF HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK. SO THANK YOU. ADDITIONALLY TO PERHAPS PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR, I BELIEVE IF FOLKS HAD WATCHED, UM, MAYOR RICHARDSON, STATE OF THE CITY'S ADDRESS, HE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE POSSIBILITY, UH, UH, POSSIBILITIES. AND, UM, THROUGH MY CONVERSATION WITH THE PERSON WHO WILL BE TAKING THIS ROLE, IT WOULD BE ECONOMIC DRIVEN, UM, ENHANCING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND DIRECTLY RELATED TO THAT, UM, TO WHAT MAYOR RICHARDSON SAID WOULD WE WERE DRIVING AT, OF, YOU KNOW, CREATING THE KIND OF ENTERTAINMENT AROUND, AROUND THE PORT. THANK YOU. UM, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IF NOT PUBLIC COMMENT, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM FIVE, PLEASE USE THE RAISED HAND FEATURE NOW, AND IF THERE'S ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LAND UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN ZOOM. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE, MAY WE PLEASE CALL THE VOTE COMMISSIONER VE AYE. COMMISSIONER DI BENEDICTUS AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL. AYE. I RECEIVED YOUR AYE. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER WISE. AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM SIX, RECOMMEND RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A BIANNUAL UPDATE. [01:30:01] OH, SORRY. UM, ITEM SEVEN, UH, ITEM SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO PREPARE THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT AND IF NECESSARY, UM, REPORT AT A FUTURE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. VICE CHAIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THE ITEMS OUT OF ORDER OR [6. 25-54344 Recommendation to discuss and make recommendations related to the 2025 calendar of events.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO IN ORDER? SIX ACTUALLY IS WHERE WE ARE. OH, OKAY. OKAY. ITEM SIX, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A BIANNUAL UPDATE FROM THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT PROGRAM. IT'S OFF ON, OH, IT'S OC IT'S OFF ON MY SCRIPT. SORRY. ITEM SIX, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS RE RELATED TO THE 2025 CALENDAR OF EVENTS. SORRY ABOUT THAT. COMMISSIONER MORALES MOVES THE CALENDAR. I SECOND. YEAH, . IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO THE STAFF FOR THE REPORT. THIS IS A COMMISSION ITEM, VICE CHAIR. THANK YOU. VICE, VICE CHAIR. UM, I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS GONNA BE SO FORMAL, UH, BUT I'LL, I, I'M PREPARED TO MAKE A FORMAL PRESENTATION AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO THANK, UM, THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR FOR LAYING THIS ITEM OVER FOR ME TO PARTICIPATE. UM, SO AT THE DECEMBER MEETING, UM, I INQUIRED IF THE COMMISSION WOULD CONSIDER OR HAD EVER CONSIDERED ONE, UH, REMOVING ONE MONTHLY MEETING FROM THE COMMISSION'S ANNUAL CALENDAR, UH, PRINCIPALLY TO HELP STAFF MAINTAIN A HEALTHIER WORK LIFE BALANCE. UH, THE COMMISSION, AS WE ALL KNOW, MEETS EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH. AND STAFF SUCH AS OET, CITY CLERK, CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEY, UM, WE HAD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HERE TODAY, THE INTERNS, UM, AND THE TECH TEAM THAT WE DON'T EVEN SEE, UM, ALSO MANAGE MULTIPLE DUTIES, UH, WITHIN THE COMMISSION AND ACROSS OTHER CITY FUNCTIONS. GIVEN THE EXTENSIVE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK REQUIRED FOR EACH MEETING, INCLUDING SCHEDULING, PRESENTATIONS, PAYROLL MEETINGS, AND COORDINATION OF LOGISTICS, WHICH, UH, THE COMMISSION DOESN'T NECESSARILY SEE OR IS MADE A MADE AWARE OF. UH, THIS NOTION TO GO DARK FOR ONE MONTH WILL GIVE STAFF A BREAK FROM THEIR MONTHLY WORKLOAD. UH, EXAMPLES OF OTHER CITY BODIES THAT GO DARK FOR A MONTH OR MORE INCLUDE THE YOUTH AND FAMILIES COMMISSION, PACIFIC GATEWAY WORKFORCE, UH, AND LONG BEACH TRANSIT, WHICH HAS REMOVED TWO MONTHS FROM ITS SCHEDULE IN RECENT YEARS. THE CITY COUNCIL ALSO GOES DARK, UH, ON THE LAST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH AND ADJUSTS MEETING AROUND SPECIAL, UM, EVENTS OR OCCASIONS SUCH AS THE STATE OF THE CITY AND ELECTIONS, ET CETERA. UH, REMOVING YOUR CANCELING ONE MONTHLY MEETING WOULD NOT SLOW THE COMMISSION'S WORK. INSTEAD WITH THE RECHARGE STAFF, THE COMMISSION WOULD CONTINUE TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN MUNICIPAL ETHICS AND REMAIN PRODUCTIVE DESPITE THE ONE MONTH BREAK. AS WE CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THIS ITEM, I PROPOSE SPECIFICALLY WE CANCEL THE COMMISSION'S MEETING IN DECEMBER UNLESS THERE'S ANOTHER SUGGESTED MONTH TO ALLOW STAFF, UH, A BREATHER DURING THE BUSY HOLIDAY SEASON WITHOUT HINDERING THE COMMISSION'S OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS. I WOULD ADD THAT THE BACKBONE OF THIS COMMISSION IS ITS DEDICATED STAFF. UM, I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF STAFF WHO ARE HERE FOR THEIR INPUT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL, IS THAT A, UH, I I'M NOT GOING TO BE AROUND TO, UH, 'CAUSE I'LL BE TERMING OFF, OR AT LEAST I THINK I WILL TO, UH, WOULD TO BENEFIT FROM SUCH A PROPOSAL. I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, REMOVING ONE MEETING. I DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE CONCERN FOR, UH, THE STAFF'S TIME. UH, BUT I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT OTHER ALTERNATIVES, UH, OR CONSIDER OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT CAN ALLEVIATE THE PRESSURE ON STAFF SO THAT MAYBE THEY CAN DELEGATE ONE MEETING SO THAT THEY CAN BE FOCUSED, UH, TAKE NEEDED TIME OFF. MY CONCERN IS REALLY AROUND JUST THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE HAVE TO GET WORK DONE WITHIN THE CITY. AND IT'S, UH, REALLY I'LL OFTENTIMES CONSTRAINED BY WHEN THE, UH, COMMISSION MEETINGS HAPPEN. AND IF, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TWO MONTH PROCESS THAT COULD FURTHER SLOW US DOWN IN GETTING SOME OF THE CRITICAL WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET DONE, DONE. THOSE ARE, THAT'S MY CONCERN. COMMISSIONER DEMAN DIC, UH, THANK YOU. UH, I AM, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF COMMISSIONER INNOVA'S MOTION OR REQUEST, UH, WITH EXCEPTION, IF STAFF IDENTIFIES A PARTICULAR MONTH, THAT WOULD GIVE THEM A LITTLE MORE, UM, LATITUDE TO ACCOMPLISH [01:35:01] THEIR WORK. UH, 'CAUSE I DO KNOW THEY HAVE A TIGHT SCHEDULE WITH TRAINING, UM, AND ALL THE OTHER TYPES OF COMPLIANCE THAT THEY'LL BE CHECKING, UH, ON, UH, THE WORKFORCE WITH. SO, UH, WITH THAT I AM SUPPORTIVE. COMMISSIONER MORALES, LIKE COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL, I, I WON'T BE HERE MUCH LONGER EITHER, BUT, UM, I DO HAVE A CONCERN BECAUSE I THINK IT COULD IMPACT THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION AND THE BODIES THAT COMMISSIONER AND NOVE, AT LEAST TWO OF THE ONES THAT HE IDENTIFIED ARE NON-CHARTER COMMISSIONS. AND I BELIEVE AS A CHARTER COMMISSION, THERE'S A HIGHER EXPECTATION OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING. UM, I DON'T, ANITA, IS THERE ANY REQUIREMENT UNDER CHARTER COMMISSIONS AS TO HOW OFTEN WE MEET? BLESS YOU. THE, UM, FREQUENCY OF THE MEETINGS ARE IN THE BYLAWS, BUT IN ADDITION, THERE'S CHAPTER TWO POINT 18 OF THE MUNI CODE, UM, THAT REQUIRE A FREQUENCY. BUT, UM, SOME COMMISSIONS DO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A HIATUS MONTH OR THEY MAY, UH, MOVE TO APPROVE, UH, TO MOVE THE, UM, SCHEDULE GENERAL MEETING TO THE FOLLOWING MONTH. UM, SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONS MAY GO DARK FOR ONE MONTH. UM, BUTS NO, LIKE, BUT ARE THOSE PRIMARILY NON-CHARTER? THERE'S NO SPECIFIC LIKE, CHARTER REQUIREMENT FOR THE ETHICS COMMISSION. UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, THE COMMISSION MAY AMEND IN ITS BYLAWS. OKAY. I I, I, I DON'T SUPPORT CHANGING THEM. THE NUMBER OF TIMES WE MEET, WE HAVE TOO MUCH WORK TO DO. STILL CHAIR P*****K. UM, UH, I, I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER MORALES. UM, I DID LOOK AT WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE THE CHARTER COMMISSIONS AND GENERALLY THEY'RE MEETING MULTIPLE TIMES A MONTH AND NOT HAVING A DARK MONTH. ON OCCASION, THEY MAY MEET ONLY ONCE RATHER THAN TWICE OR ONLY TWICE RATHER THAN THREE TIMES DURING EITHER AUGUST OR DECEMBER. BUT GENERALLY THE CHARTER COMMISSIONS ARE, DO DO NOT HAVE A DA DARK MONTH AND, AND, AND ARE MEETING MM MUCH MORE FREQUENT FREQUENTLY THAN WE ARE MEETING. UM, I THINK RIGHT NOW AND FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, UM, WE HAVE A BACKLOG OF THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH AND GOING FOR 60 DAYS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO PUT FORWARD ANY BIG IDEAS TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSION, I, I THINK WOULD, WOULD RESULT IN SUBSTANTIAL DELAY. UM, AND, AND, AND ALSO WE, WE HAD MADE THE DECISION AT LEAST INFORMALLY, THAT ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT WOULD COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION TWICE. AND WITH THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S A, A VALUABLE AND NECESSARY, UH, REQUIREMENT, BUT TAKING A MONTH OFF I THINK WOULD, WOULD CAUSE TOO MUCH SIGNIFICANT DELAY. SO, THANK YOU. I, I ALSO HAVE TREPIDATIONS ABOUT TAKING, UM, A MONTH OFF. UM, HAVING CURRENTLY SERVED IN THE INTERIM ROLE IN ANOTHER CHARTER COMMISSION, UNDERSTANDING THAT IT DOES MEET MULTIPLE TIMES A MONTH. UM, ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT OUR, UM, AS CHAIR P*****K DISCUSSED OUR BACKLOG OF ITEMS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MOVING FORWARD. UM, AND THEN TRY TO FIND A, A MONTH THAT PERHAPS WE COULD GO DARK. IT WAS A BIT CHALLENGING. UM, AND SO GIVEN, GIVEN THAT OUR ROLE AS A CHARTER COMMISSION AND MORE IMPORTANTLY GIVEN OUR ROLE AS AN ETHICS COMMISSION, UM, I WOULD HAVE, I I AM TROUBLED, UM, BY TAKING A MONTH OFF, UM, BY, BY PARTICIPATING AND, AND BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT THINGS, ESPECIALLY ITEMS OF NOTE. UM, GIVEN THAT SECOND, GIVEN THAT SECOND LOOK, UM, SOMETHING THAT I DID PERHAPS WANT TO FLOW IS THAT, UM, MAYBE THE MONTH THAT WE HAVE OUR RETREATS AND IF WE WERE TO HAVE RETREAT, THE POSSIBILITY OF, OF GOING DARK FOR A SCHEDULED MEETING, BUT HAVE A, UM, SHORTER MEETING DURING OUR RETREAT TO, UM, UH, ADDRESS ANY PRESSING MATTERS PERHAPS. UM, BUT AS FAR AS GOING DARK FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH, UM, AGAIN, JUST CURRENTLY LOOKING AT WHERE WE ARE AS A COMMISSION, I DIDN'T NECESSARILY SEE A, A, A PATH THAT I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. [01:40:02] IF NOT, WE'LL OPEN IT PUBLIC. YEAH, WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT. I JUST, IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER SIX, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. NONE IN THE ZOOM YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. IN PERSON, I'M NOT A COMMISSIONER, BUT, UM, I WAS ASKED BY 15 PEOPLE THROUGH MESSAGING, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT ETHICS COMMISSION COULD HAVE ONE KABI KAHUNA MEETING AND MEET AFTER 3:00 PM 3:00 PM MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY DURING THE DAY. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO COME TO THIS MEETING, BUT COULD NOT. SO IS IT POSSIBLE TO DO A SPECIAL, SPECIAL ONE TIME, FIVE O'CLOCK OR SIX O'CLOCK ETHICS COMMISSION? BECAUSE I THINK WE CAN PACK THE CHAMBERS, NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, THERE'S A LOT OF CONTROVERSIAL THINGS THAT SHOULD BE COMING UP PRETTY SOON. AND, UM, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, MAYOR, AUDITOR, AND ATTORNEY ARE ALL UP FOR REELECTION. THAT'S A LOT OF FORM FOUR SIXTIES. I PERSONALLY KNOW TWO PEOPLE RUNNING IN DISTRICT ONE, ONE PERSON DISTRICT RUNNING IN DISTRICT THREE. ONE PERSON I KNOW IS RUNNING FOR DISTRICT NINE. I KNOW A CITY AUDITOR WHO'S RUNNING AGAINST LAURA DOWD AND A CITY ATTORNEY. ALL OF THEM I KNOW PERSONALLY, AND IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY GOOD ELECTION SEASON. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY EXCITING TO HAVE A 6:00 PM ETHICS COMMISSION TO BRING FORTH. SO MAYBE HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DOING TWO COMMISSION MEETINGS AND ONE DOING IT SIX O'CLOCK? 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT CAN'T MAKE IT AT THREE O'CLOCK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE IN THE ZOOM THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER SIX, CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR A VOTE? VICE CHAIR? OH, DO YOU MIND IF I ASK, UH, THE STAFF IF, IF THEY WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS? SURE, SURE. IF THEY DON'T, THAT'S OKAY TOO. I DON'T, I DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO SPEAK. WE WOULD WELCOME A BREAK, BUT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULDN'T TAKE A BREAK. UM, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER NOVE BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND ADVOCATING, UH, ON OUR BEHALF. IT IS APPRECIATED. THANK YOU TO, UM, MY COLLEAGUES FOR CONSIDERATION. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION BEFORE WE VOTE. WHAT'S THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR THAT WE'RE VOTING ON ? CURRENTLY? CURRENTLY THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS TO DISCUSS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO THE 2025 CALENDAR OF EVENTS, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT VOTING FOR ANYTHING SUBSTANTIVE, WE'RE JUST VOTING TO, UM, DISCUSS 'CAUSE OR IT, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION INCLUDED IN THIS UNLESS WE HAVE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT OR AMENDED MOTION FROM THE COMMISSION. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE VOTING ON, WHICH I CAN DO WITH, BUT I ALREADY KNOW HOW IT WILL END. SO WE COULD HAVE DISCUSSION ON, VOTE ON THE FACT WE DISCUSSED IT. YEAH, WE COULD HAVE A VOTE ON THE, THE FACT THAT WE DISCUSSED IT OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. COMMISSIONER NOVE? YEAH, I WOULD, UM, IF ACCEPTED THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT WOULD BE TO, UH, APPROVE UH, THE REMOVAL OF THE DECEMBER MEETING, WHICH THIS YEAR WOULD BE 12, 10 25 FROM THE 2025 SCHEDULE. AND, UH, IN ORDER TO PROMOTE STAFF WELLBEING, ALL OF THE COMMISSION MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE AS SCHEDULED. AND DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A MOTION TO THE FRIENDLY AMENDED, UM, MOTION TO GO DARK ON THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, 2025. CORRECT? IT'S BEEN SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. MAY WE HAVE A VOTE COMMISSIONER NOR AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? NO. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? NO. COMMISSIONER WISE? NO. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN? NO. CHAIR P*****K, NO. MOTION FAILS. ITEM SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO PREPARE THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT AND IF NECESSARY, PRESENT REPORT AT FUTURE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. IF I MAY, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'LL STILL NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION, WHICH IS THE DISCUSSION OF THE CALENDAR. OKAY. CAN WE GET A VOTE ON THE ORIGINAL ITEM? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER NOVE. AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. [01:45:01] MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. ITEM SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO PREPARE THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT AND IF NECESSARY, PRESENT REPORT AT FUTURE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND ON THIS ITEM? SO MORALES IS THE ITEM. SECOND, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. UM, WE [7. 25-54345 Recommendation to authorize the Chair and the Vice Chair to prepare the Ethics Commission’s Annual Report, and if necessary, present report at a future City Council meeting.        Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] DON'T HAVE A STAFF REPORT ON THIS, IT WOULD JUST BE YEAH, JUST TO ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? UM, I HAVE A QUESTION. DO WE NEED AUTHORIZATION ALSO TO SUBMIT A BUDGET LETTER? I THINK IN THE PAST YEARS THE BUDGET LETTER WAS NOT BROUGHT TO THE COMMISSION UNTIL AFTER IT WAS COMPLETED. DOES ANYONE RE RECALL? WE DID. THERE WAS ALWAYS A, THE BUDGET LETTER, NOT THE, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER MORALES IS FROZEN. OH, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. WE CANNOT, SHE'S FROZEN. FROZEN. MY GREAT COMMISSIONER MORALES GIVE PLEASE GIVE US A MINUTE WHILE WE WORK ON GETTING YOU BACK. ONE MOMENT PLEASE. WHILE WE WAIT ON, UM, COMMISSIONER WISE AND COMMISSIONER MORALES TO GET BACK ONLINE. UM, HEATHER, DO WE KNOW IF WE WOULD NEED TO INCLUDE A BUDGET LETTER? TYPICALLY YOU DO, UM, A BUDGET LETTER EVERY YEAR AND IT COMES TO THE COMMISSION FOR APPROVAL JUST OUT OF A PROCESS THAT YOU GUYS CREATED. YOU GENERALLY DO IT A LITTLE BIT TOO LATE IN THE YEAR, LIKE YOU DO IT IN THE SUMMER WHERE WE'VE RECOMMENDED YOU CONSIDER DOING IT MUCH EARLIER IN THE YEAR. SO, WHICH, WHICH IS WHY I'M RAISING IT TODAY, WE COULD DO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT IF SHE'S BACK LEFT. IF YOU GUYS HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND OR YOU WE COULD BRING IT BACK IN MARCH. HAVE ANITA WEIGH IN ON THAT. COMMISSIONER CAN DO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO ADD THE BUDGET REPORT TO THE ANNUAL REPORT, OR IF THE ANNUAL REPORT IS SUPPOSED TO INCLUDE THE BUDGET REPORT ANYWAY, IT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN ENCOMPASSED, BUT IF YOU WANNA DELINEATE THE BUDGET REPORT, YOU CAN DO SO IN THIS ITEM. DO YOU WANNA DO A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT? YEAH, I, I'D LIKE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO, UH, AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO PREPARE THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S BUDGET LETTER AS WELL AS THE ANNUAL REPORT. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? CAN YOU GUYS HEAR US? YES, NOW WE CAN. COMMISSIONER MORALES. OKAY, SO, SO JUST AS A RECOLLECTION, IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD A DISCUSSION ON WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET LETTER GOTTEN CLEARANCE FROM THE CO FROM THE COMMISSION ON THAT. SO YOU MIGHT WANNA DO THAT NEXT WEEK, I MEAN, NEXT MONTH, UNLESS YOU WANNA WRITE ONE. 'CAUSE YOU, YOU, WE USUALLY BROUGHT IT BACK AS A FINISHED DOCUMENT, BUT WE HAD AUTHORIZATION FOR WHAT WE WERE INCLUDING IN IT. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU REMEMBER, SUSAN, WHEN YOU WROTE IT? MORE OR LESS? YES. I'M NOT, I'M NOT REMEMBERING WHEN OR HOW IT CAME BACK TO THE, UM, CAME BACK TO THE, THE COMMISSION. BUT I DO THINK, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK WE SHOULD BE CALLING IT A BUDGET REQUEST. YES. NOT A BUDGET REPORT. AND, UM, SECOND, UM, I THINK THAT, THAT WE SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME DISCUSSION BY THE, THE COMMISSION AND THEN AUTHORIZE THE, UM, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO, TO PUT IT TOGETHER. WE CAN CHECK AND SEE IF, IF THEY USUALLY BRING THAT BACK THEN, THEN, UM, I DON'T, WE SHOULD DO THAT. MY, I DON'T VIEW ON THAT PART OF IT. I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN BROUGHT BACK. UH, BUT THEN IF WE CAN GET THE AUTHORIZATION TO PREPARE THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT AND A BUDGET REQUEST, THEN IN THE MARCH MEETING WE CAN ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT OUGHT TO BE INCLUDED WILL BE INCLUDED AND THEN THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR CAN SUBMIT THE LETTERS WITHOUT COMING BACK TO THE COMMISSION. IF I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS WE USED IN, IN OTHER YEARS NOW, BUT DON'T YOU WANT OUR INPUT AS TO THINGS THAT WE THINK SHOULD BE IN THE BUDGET BEFORE YOU PUT THE TIME AND ENERGY INTO WRITING A LETTER? I DON'T MIND PUTTING THE TIME AND ENERGY IN DRAFTING A LETTER AND THEN SUPPLEMENTING IT OR [01:50:01] DELETING THINGS DEPENDING ON HOW THE COMMISSION MEETING GOES ON MARCH, THAT'D BE FINE WITH ME AS WELL. SO AM I HEARING A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO RECOMMEND AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR TO PREPARE THE ETHIC COMMISSION'S ANNUAL REPORT AND BUDGET REQUESTS AND IF NECESSARY, PRESENT THE REPORT AND REQUEST AT A FUTURE CITY COUNCIL MEETING? UM, WOULD I NOT ACTUALLY PRESENTING THE LETTERS, BUT GETTING INPUT ON WHAT SHOULD BE IN THE LETTERS IN, IN A FUTURE MEETING AND THEN WE SUBMIT THE LETTERS WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE COMMISSION AS TO THE DRAFTS THEMSELVES AS I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS. SO WE GET INPUT IN THE MARCH MEETING, BUT WE'RE AUTHORIZED TO SUBMIT WITHOUT SUBMITTING THE DRAFT FOR FINAL APPROVAL TO THE COMMISSION. AND THE, I KNOW THE ANNUAL, UH, THE ANNUAL REPORT HAS NOT COME TO THE COMMISSION FOR APPROVAL IN THE PAST. YEAH, AND I, I THINK THAT THE, UM, THE BUDGET REQUEST WON'T NECESSARILY GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL. IT'LL FIRST GO TO THE, UM, UM, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE BUDGET OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE OF THE, OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THAT'S WHERE, WHERE WE HAVE TO START IN THIS, IN THIS PROCESS. SO, UM, I THINK IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE GONNA DEAL WITH THIS TODAY, I THINK IT SHOULD ALSO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THAT'S WHAT WE I, THAT, THAT, THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THE APPROPRIATE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES OR WHATEVER WHEN WE GIVE THE, GIVE THE AUTHORITY. AND PERHAPS A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD IS THAT WE, WE LEAVE THE, UH, ANNUAL REPORT A SEPARATE ITEM. I MEAN WE PUT ON THE MARCH CALENDAR AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE, TO PRESENT, UH, TO GET INPUT FOR THE BUDGET REQUEST. AND THAT CAN STILL BE, AND THEN AUTHORIZATION TO PRESENT, YOU KNOW, IN APRIL, WHICH WOULD STILL GIVE ENOUGH TIME BEFORE THE BUDGETARY PROCESS. IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT IT WAS PERHAPS DONE LATER IN THE YEAR. IS THAT, BUT THE LETTER DOESN'T HAVE TO COME BACK, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. YES. OKAY. SO WE WILL JUST KEEP THE ITEM AS CURRENTLY WRITTEN. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IF NOT, MAY WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. SEEING NONE, BOTH IN THE ZOOM AND IN PERSON. THAT CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. ALRIGHT, SEEING AND HEARING NONE, CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AND IF NECESSARY, APPROVE THE FINAL MEMORANDUM AND DRAFT OF THE GOOD GOVERNMENT ACT ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE AD HOC ON UPDATED POLICIES TO BE SENT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND ON THIS ITEM? [8. 25-54347 Recommendation to receive and file, and if necessary, approve the final memorandum and draft Good Government Act ordinance recommendation from the Ad Hoc on Updated Policies to be sent to the City Council for consideration.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] WIFE MOVES. I'LL SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER WISE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL WHO WILL BE PRESIDENT. DEAN. I WILL. UM, SO COMMISSIONERS, UM, AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, UH, WE HAVE COMPLETED THE DRAFT ETHICS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE ACT, UM, AND HAVE PRESENTED IN THE UNDER ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, A MEMO TO THE COMMISSION ALONG WITH THE DRAFT OF THE ACT. UH, THE MEMO ADDRESSES, UH, WELL, FIRST OF ALL WITH REGARD TO THE ACT, I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE AND WE HAVE ENDEAVORED TO ADDRESS ALL OF THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ON THE DRAFT, UH, TO DATE. BECAUSE AS YOU'LL REMEMBER, WE PROVIDED, UH, SECTIONS OR CHAPTERS OF THE DRAFT ON AN ONGOING BASIS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. UM, AND THE MEMO SUMMARIZES, ONE, THE PURPOSE OF THE EFFORT THAT WE UNDERTOOK, UH, THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND CENTRALIZED APPROACH TO ETHICS, RULES AND [01:55:01] REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE CITY. UH, THE BENCHMARKING THAT WE UNDERTOOK AS AN AD HOC, UH, AND THEN A SHORT BULLETIZED SUMMARY OF EACH CHAPTER ALONG WITH IDENTIFYING WHERE IT EITHER, UH, MIRRORS WHAT'S REQUIRED ON A, UH, STATE LEVEL OR EMBELLISHES OR ADDS TO WHAT'S REQUIRED ON A STATE LEVEL OR WHAT IS ALREADY ADDRESSED WITHIN, UH, CITY ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS TO KIND GIVE SOME INDICATION OF WHAT IS NEW, UH, AND WHAT IS REALLY JUST KIND OF ADDRESSING IT IN THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLACE. UH, AND THEN FINALLY, THE MEMO TALKS, UH, ADDRESSES THE NEXT STEPS, THOSE BEING THAT ONCE UH, THE COMMISSION IS READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ETHICS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE ACT, IT WILL BE PRESENTED BY THE, IT'LL BE VOTED ON BY THE ETHICS COMMISSION, UH, SUBMITTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR REVIEW AND, UH, AND APPROVAL THAT THE CITY COUNCIL'S APPROVAL WOULD BE APPROVING. THEY WOULD, UM, UH, AND REQUESTING THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FINALIZE THE PROPOSAL, UH, ENSURING THAT IT IS, UM, UH, CONSISTENT WITH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CITY AND THE ORDINANCE AMONG OTHER THINGS. UM, AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME ALSO ADDRESSING ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, COMMENTS, UH, THAT MAY OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR REVIEW THAT MAY BE APPROPRIATE OR NECESSARY FROM OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS. AND WITH THAT, I WILL ASK IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT. FIRST I'D ASK IF, UH, CHAIR DAVID DICTUS, MY PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT HAS ANYTHING TO ADD THAT I MIGHT HAVE MISSED? NONE I YIELD TO YOU. OKAY. ANY, UH, CHAIR P*****K? I, I THANK YOU. THIS WAS GREAT. IT WAS . UM, I HAVE A COUPLE NIS ON THE LETTER. I THINK I CAN GIVE THOSE TO YOU OFFLINE IF ANITA APPROVES. THEY'RE NOT SUBSTANTIVE AT ALL. THEY'RE JUST NIS. UM, BUT REALLY, THANKS VERY MUCH. THIS TOOK A LOT OF WORK. THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENTS. BUT I WAS ACTUALLY REMISS IN THANKING OUR STAFF. SO I WAS REMISS IN THANKING HEATHER, YOU KNOW, ANITA AND, UH, THE ENTIRE, THE INTERNS, UH, AND THE ENTIRE COMMISSION STAFF FOR ALL THEIR EFFORT ON THIS. 'CAUSE IT WAS VERY EXTENSIVE, INCLUDING, UH, OUR FORMER LEGAL ADVISOR, UH, TAYLOR, I THINK I SAW COMMISSIONER WISE UNMUTE. DID YOU HAVE COMMENTS? YEAH, I HAD, I HAD A COUPLE. UM, AND I JUST SAY THAT, UM, MY, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS, UM, GREAT WORK AND AMAZING THAT YOU HAVE PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER. 'CAUSE THIS HAS LONG BEEN THE GOAL OF, OF, UM, OF THE COMMISSION. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS CALLED OUT, I THINK IN THE AUDIT REPORTS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS ALL IN AN EASY PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO FIND IT. SO, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS WONDERFUL. UM, AND, AND I, I EXTEND THAT THANKS TO, UM, ANITA AND HEATHER AND TO, TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE TOO BECAUSE, UM, UH, THIS IS, UM, THIS WAS NO EASY JOB. UM, I FOCUSED MY REVIEW THIS TIME ON THE, UM, ON THE PROVISIONS OF, UM, 4.01, UH, POINT 100. THOSE ARE THE, THE PENALTIES AND, UM, AND THE, UM, LACK OF, OF, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO REPORT AND WHAT TO REPORT TO WHOM AND THINGS LIKE THAT IS ONE ANO AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS CRITICIZED IN THE, IN THE AUDIT THAT WAS DONE OF THE ETHICS, UM, PROGRAM IN LONG BEACH PRIOR TO THIS, UM, UH, OR JUST AS THIS COMMISSION, UM, BEGAN, UM, ALMOST, UH, SIX YEARS AGO NOW. SO I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. UM, I NOTICED THAT COMPARED TO THE DRAFT THAT YOU HAD, UM, HAD SUBMITTED IN, UM, IN DECEMBER, I BELIEVE THAT IT, IT CALLED FOR, UM, THINGS TO FIRST BE SUBMITTED OR, OR COMPLAINTS TO FIRST BE, UM, SUBMITTED TO THE ETHICS OFFICER AND THEN, AND THEN REFERRED OUT. AND I SAW THAT THAT HAD HAD BEEN, UM, DELETED. UM, AND I JUST WONDERED IF YOU COULD GIVE US THE REASONING FOR THAT. I'M LOOKING FOR THE ACTUAL SECTION WHERE WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT. I'M TRYING TO RECALL WHAT OUR REASONING WAS, BUT COMMISSIONER DEUS, 'CAUSE I DON'T THINK WE DID WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE ETHICS OFFICE IS, [02:00:01] UH, HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS, UH, DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE REPLACEMENT OF THE COMMISSION, BUT IS A STEP BEFORE THE COMMISSION. BUT I'LL ASK MAYBE FOR THE ASSISTANCE OF STAFF OR COUNCIL OR COMMISSIONER DE WHAT SPECIFIC SECTION WITHIN 4.01, 100, WHAT CHA UH, WHAT LETTER ARE YOU REFERRING TO? OR DO YOU KNOW? YEAH, I WAS, I WAS JUST LOOKING TO FIND IT IN THE, UM, IN THE DRAFT. I, I THOUGHT I HAD SEEN THAT, UM, IT CALLED FOR, UM, VIOLATIONS TO BE REPORTED TO THE, UM, TO THE, UM, ETHICS OFFICER AND THEN REFERRED OUT, LEMME LOOK MORE CAREFULLY. I'M SORRY, I THOUGHT I HAD IT RIGHT HERE. ARE YOU PERHAPS LOOKING AT 4.0 1.060? IT'S OH SIX ZERO. LET ME LOOK HERE. OH YEAH. OH, UM, NO, IT WAS A SECTION THAT TELLS YOU WHO TO, THERE'S A SECTION, ISN'T THERE A SECTION THAT TELLS YOU WHO TO REPORT WHAT TO THAT WOULD BE OH TWO SIX. OH, SHE'S REFERRING TO G UNDER FOUR POINT. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANKS. 4.01, 0.100. SO SHE'S CORRECT. UNDER G WE HAD, UM, VIOLATIONS BEING REPORTED TO THE ETHICS OFFICER AND THEN THAT WAS DELETED DURING A MEETING. AND I CAN'T RECALL WHY WE DELETED IT, BUT THE RED LINES INDICATE THAT WE DELETED THAT. AND THEN SO NUMBER, SO THEN NUMBER TWO BECAME NUMBER ONE. YES, EXACTLY. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH, I'M SORRY, I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT CHANGE. COMMISSIONER WISE, ARE YOU ITERATING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT MAINTAINED WELL IN THE FINAL VERSION? I, I, I GUESS YES. AND I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY I, IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO ME, AND I SEE THAT IT'S BEEN TAKEN OUT, SO I ASSUME SOMEONE'S THINKING IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA. AND, AND SO I WANTED, I WAS INTERESTED IN WHAT THE, WHAT THE REASONING WAS, AND I WAS LOOKING TO HEAR SOME DIS DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. SO WE HAVE HAD SO MANY DISCUSSIONS ON SO MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS. YEAH. UM, AND SO I APOLOGIZE 'CAUSE I'M NOT RECALLING SPECIFICALLY, AND I'M SURE AS SOON AS WE GET OFF THE DAY AND, UH, OR TALKING ABOUT IT, UH, AGAIN, IT'S GONNA COME BACK IMMEDIATELY, BUT I AM GONNA SUGGEST THAT WE, YOU KNOW, TAKE A, UH, GO BACK AND LOOK THROUGH OUR NOTES ON THIS PARTICULAR, UH, MATTER SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION. OKAY. UM, WELL THEN LET ME JUST GO ON IN THAT SAME SECTION, SECTION, UM, SECTION G, UM, WHAT IS NOW PART ONE AND IT HAS GO, UM, IT HAS IT GOING TO THE, UM, CITY ATTORNEY AND, AND THEN IT, THE CITY ATTORNEY DISCUSSES IT WITH THE PUBLIC SERVANT WHO'S A SUBJECT TO THE ALLEGATION PROVIDING CERTAIN ADVICE. AND THEN THE NEXT SENTENCE IS FURTHER UPON A FINDING BY A MAJORITY OF THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, ET YOU KNOW, THEN THE, THE CITY COUNCIL CAN IMPOSE CERTAIN SANCTIONS. AND THE MISSING STEP IN THERE FOR ME IS HOW DOES IT GET TO THE CITY COUNCIL? UM, IS IT, IS THE CITY ATTORNEY OBLIGATED TO REFER IT? OR, UM, IS IT IN JUST IN THE DISCRETION OF THE CITY ATTORNEY OR, AND THEN WHAT IF THE CITY COUNCILS DIDN'T PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, EVEN IF IT WERE REFERRED? AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS ALL THESE THINGS, BUT I I WAS LOOKING FOR, I'M JUST GONNA CALL LOOPHOLES YEAH. AND HOW THIS PROCESS NO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE AB YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I RECALL THIS NOW IT IT'S HELPING TOO. YEAH. BUT GO AHEAD. THERE IS A, THERE IS A, A HOLE HERE ON [02:05:01] THAT STEP. AND YOU HAD REQUESTED THAT WE SHORE THAT UP. UH, I DON'T RECALL THE FIRST ONE, BUT I DO RECALL THIS ONE THAT WE DO MISS A STEP. OKAY. WELL, THE OTHER SECTION, THE OTHER, THE SECTION THAT WAS DELETED WAS IN THE DRAFT THAT YOU GAVE US IN DECEMBER. UM, IT, AND IT SAID, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS BY A PUBLIC SERVANT SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE CITY, CITY ETHICS OFFICER UPON RECEIPT, THE ETHICS OFFICER SHALL REFER THE COMPLAINT TO THE APPROPRIATE APPOINTING AGENT AUTHORITY OR THEIR DESIGNEE FOR INVESTIGATION. SO THAT THAT'S WHAT ISN'T THERE ANYMORE. AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE REASONING OF. BUT, BUT ANYWAY, THE NEXT PARAGRAPH, AS I SAID, IT HAS THAT GAP IN IT. AND, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF, IF WE ARE PREPARE, I'M NOT SURE IF WE WANT TO PROPOSE FILLING THAT GAP OR, OR NOT, BUT I JUST SAY THAT I'VE, I'VE NOTICED IT. UM, AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER THING, AND, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS WOULD EVER COME TO BE, BUT, UM, I LEARNED TO, I LEARNED TO THINK ABOUT WORST CASE SCENARIOS. UM, WHAT IF THE OFFICE HOLDER THAT WAS, UM, THAT WAS, UH, COMPLAINED ABOUT WAS ACTUALLY, UM, THE, THE CITY ATTORNEY WOULD, I MEAN THE ELECTED CITY ATTORNEY, WOULD THAT MEAN THAT THAT PERSON WOULD HAVE TO APPOINT SOMEONE ELSE TO INVESTIGATE THEM? OR HOW WOULD THAT, HOW WOULD THAT WORK? AND, AND I, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THESE CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD BE, BUT, UM, I'M, I'M BRINGING IT UP. NO, IT'S BECAUSE WE VERY VALID POINT AND IN THESE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE TIMES THAT WE'RE LIVING IN TODAY. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT IN THAT CASE, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY TO THAT, FOR THAT TO BE FARMED OUT TO ANOTHER ENTITY, UH, TO DO AN EVALUATION. BUT IT WOULD NEED TO BE AT THE DIRECTION OF ANOTHER, SOMEONE ELSE WITHIN THE, UH, WITHIN THE, UM, CITY. UH, AND AS WE'VE, UH, THE OTHER AD HOC ON THE COMMISSION'S RESPONSIBILITIES HAS ACTUALLY BEEN LOOKING AT VARIATIONS OF THAT AND MAKING A PROPOSALS THAT WHAT, WHAT WOULD COME TO THE CITY? I'M SORRY, WHAT WOULD, UH, HOW THOSE TYPES OF MATTERS WOULD BE ADDRESSED OR NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. I WASN'T VERY CLEAR ON HOW I STATED THAT, BUT THAT'S, UM, IN THIS CASE, COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS, DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD ACTUALLY BE CLARIFIED WITHIN THIS DRAFT? YEAH, I THINK THERE'S TWO OPPORTUNITIES. UH, IF, UM, IF WE COULD DO IT LIVE, THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. UM, THAT MISSED STEP. HOW DOES IT GET TO COUNCIL? I DON'T KNOW IF COUNCIL CAN ADVISE ON THAT AT THIS TIME. UH, BUT THAT WE WOULD, THAT CITY, CITY ATTORNEY, UM, IF THE SUBJECT, UH, THE PUBLIC SER SERVANT WHO IS SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGATION WOULD RECUSE AND HOW IT WOULD BE HANDLED, UM, CAN IT BE ADDRESSED? CAN WE ADDRESS THAT LIVE? BUT ON THE FIRST ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN ADDRESS IT LIVE BECAUSE YOU DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THE RECORD OF WHY IT WAS DELETED. UNDERSTAND. SO I, I BELIEVE I, I FOUND THE RECORD. IT WAS BASED ON CITY AUDITOR'S FEEDBACK. THAT'S RIGHT. WHY WE TOOK THAT OUT. SO, HAD THE DECEMBER DRAFT, I DON'T HAVE THE DECEMBER DRAFT IN FRONT OF ME. HAD IT SAID THAT THE COMPLAINT GOES INTO THE ETHICS OFFICER AND THE CITY AUDITOR OBJECTED TO THAT, OR WHAT DID THE DECEMBER DRAFT SAY? I'M NOT LOOKING AT THE DECEMBER DRAFT. I'M LOOKING AT THE FEEDBACK FROM THE AUDITOR ON G WHAT WAS G ONE? AND THERE WAS CONCERN THAT THIS WAS OUTSIDE OF THE ETHICS PROGRAM'S PURVIEW, THE ETHICS COMMISSION'S PURVIEW. SO THERE WAS A SUGGESTION TO EITHER REDUCE DOWN TO ONLY THE OFFENSES SPECIFIC TO THE COMMISSION'S OVERVIEW OR TO REMOVE THE STATEMENT. AND WE CHOSE TO REMOVE THE STATEMENT. AND THE STATEMENT SAID, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THIS ACT BY A PUBLIC SERVANT SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE ETHICS OFFICER. UPON RECEIPT OF THE REPORT, THE ETHICS OFFICER SHALL REFER THE COMPLAINT TO THE APPROPRIATE APPOINTING AUTHORITY OR THEIR DESIGNEE FOR INVESTIGATION. SO WE DON'T KNOW IF THE CITY AUDITOR WOULD OBJECT IF WE SAID THAT IT WOULD BE REPORTED TO THE ETHICS OFFICER OR THE CITY AUDITOR. WE DON'T. OKAY. I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THAT BACK AND LOOK AT IT. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO DO IT BETWEEN THE NEXT MEETING AND, UM, HAVE IT STILL BE AUTHORIZED TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL OR WE BRING IT BACK TO AT THE C AT [02:10:01] THE NEXT MEETING. I THINK WE CAN GO EITHER APPROACH AND THEN I, AND THEN YOUR, MY NIS, I CAN COMMUNICATE TO YOU AND YOU CAN INCORPORATE THEM FOR THE MARCH MEETING. YES. SO IF THERE ARE CHANGES, UM, TO THE MEMO THAT ARE SUBSTANTIVE, THEY NEED TO HAPPEN NOW. BUT IF THEY'RE JUST CLERICAL, LIKE A TYPO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE COULD DEFINITELY CHANGE THAT THEREAFTER. BUT IT'S RECOMMENDED THAT IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES, UM, THAT THEY HAPPEN, UM, DURING THIS ITEM, UH, MY, MY, MY PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE LETTER RELATE TO MY OBSESSION WITH PARALLEL SENTENCE STRUCTURE . SO THEY'RE EDITORIAL, UM, WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, LET ME PULL IT UP, UH, IN, UH, ON PAGE TWO FIRST, FULL PARAGRAPH LAST SENTENCE. THE ACT SEEKS TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF ETHICAL GOVERNANCE. AND THEN INSTEAD OF SAYING ENSURING FAIR OPPORTUNITIES, I WOULD SAY ENSURE FAIR OPPORTUNITIES. AND THEN INSTEAD OF PROMOTING CONFIDENCE, I WOULD SAY PROMOTE COMPETENCE. I HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMENTS ALONG THOSE LINES, BUT AS I SAY, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE SUBSTANTIVE, BUT I I THINK THEY MAKE THE LETTER BETTER. WE WOULD APPRECIATE SUCH COMMENTS TO BE CLEAR AND MORE GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT. IT, IT'S, IT'S PARALLEL SENSE. I'M WITH YOU. THANK YOU. WERE THERE ANY FUR? IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'LL NEED A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FOR THIS TO COME BACK IN THE MARCH MEETING. UM, WERE THERE ANY OTHER SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS PRIOR TO THAT AMENDMENT? IF NOT, SEEING NONE, CAN WE THEN HAVE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO, UH, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE WILL HAVE THE, UM, AD HOC COMMITTEE ON UPDATED POLICIES TO REVISE AND LOOK AT OR, OR TO REVISE, UM, THE DRAFT OR THE GOOD GOVERNANCE ACT ORDINANCE TO, UM, ADDRESSED IN THE MARCH MEETING. AND COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL, DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? I THINK I SECONDED. UH, OR DONE. YES, I AGREE. COMMISSIONER WEISS, DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? YES. THANK YOU. AND CAN WE HAVE A VOTE? THERE ARE NO OTHER, NO, NO OTHER INSURANCE. JUST THAT PARAGRAPH. YEAH. OKAY. JUST THAT PARAGRAPH. AND I BELIEVE PART OF THAT MIGHT'VE HAD TO BEEN DUE. WE'RE GONNA COME BACK. BUT IT HAD TO DO WITH THE COMMISSION'S AUTHORITY TOO, JUST ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO. 'CAUSE WE HAVE ZERO NO INVESTIGATORY AUTHORITY, BUT THEN YES. IS ACCEPTABLE. OKAY. AND CAN WE OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF ANY IN PERSON, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE IN THE ZOOM, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. I'VE NOT LISTENED TO THE LETTER. I WAS JUST LISTENING TO YOUR TALK BACK AND FORTH IN QUESTIONS. I CAN GIVE YOU TWO EXAMPLES THAT I, THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. THE, UM, AUDITOR LAURA DOW HAS AN OFFICE ORDER ACCOUNT. IT'S ON THE CITY CLERK'S WEBSITE. AND, UM, AN ELECTED OFFICIAL THAT'S BEING UNDER INVESTIGATED BY THE DA, UM, 10 COUNT FELONY COUNTS AS WE SPEAK, GAVE MONEY $600 TO THE AUDITOR. AND SO WE'VE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST. HOW IS AN AUDITOR SUPPOSED TO BE INDEPENDENT WHEN THEIR OFFICEHOLDER ACCOUNT IS RECEIVING MONEY FROM ONE OF NINE ELECTED OFFICIALS? SECOND, UM, THE CITY ATTORNEY HASN'T HAD AN OFFICER ACCOUNT OF FRIENDS IT'S NAMED, UM, YOU CAN LOOK AT IT. THE CITY CLERK'S WEBSITE. UM, AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, UM, DONATED $200 AND THEN ANOTHER ELECTED OFFICIAL DONATED $200 TO THE CITY ATTORNEY. SIX MONTHS LATER, WE RAISED THAT POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, AND THEN THEY REFUNDED IT. SO, UM, WHEN I HEAR YOU TALKING ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH THE OFFICE ORDER ACCOUNT, I REALLY PRAY THAT Y'ALL ADD SOMETHING THAT THIS COMMITTEE REALLY NEEDS TO LOOK AT ALL OFFICEHOLDER ACCOUNTS, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY THAT GOES BACK AND FORTH. LAURA DOW DONATED $600 TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, AND THEN THAT ELECTED OFFICIAL GAVE IT BACK OF, UH, $400. SO I'M SAYING THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH OUR AUDITOR AND OUR CITY ATTORNEY WITH THEIR OFFICEHOLDER ACCOUNTS, WHICH CREATES A BIG CONFLICT OF INTEREST. HOW CAN THE AUDITOR AUDIT THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN THEY'RE A A CAMPAIGN DONOR? IT, IT, IT, TO ME THAT SEEMS LIKE A VERY CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND I THINK Y'ALL SHOULD REALLY BE ABLE TO HAVE AUDITING POWER. 'CAUSE UM, THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL DO, THAT'S IN YOUR MISSION STATEMENT AND IT'S REALLY [02:15:01] FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE FEPC, WHICH I GOT A LETTER, Y'ALL ALL SUBMITTED. MY FPPC COMPLAINT WAS SENT TO YOU GUYS TO DO AN INVESTIGATION. SO, UM, I WISH WE COULD, Y'ALL COULD HAVE AN INVESTIGATOR INVESTIGATIVE POWER OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, CITY ATTORNEY, AND THE CITY AUDITOR, ESPECIALLY THEIR CROOKED OFFICE ORDER ACCOUNTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NONE. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR THE VOTE AS AMENDED? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIES. GIVEN THE, UH, GIVEN THE REASONING BEHIND ITEM NINE, WHICH IS TO RECOMMEND, UM, TO AUTHORIZE THE AD HOC ON A UPDATED POLICIES AND FORM MEMBERS OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE LOBBY ORDINANCE TO APPEAR AT FUTURE COUNCIL MEETINGS IN WHICH THE ENTIRETY OF THE ETHICS ORDINANCE AND CHANGES TO THE LOBBY ORDINANCE WOULD BE PRESENTED. I THINK IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO LAY THIS OVER UNTIL WE HAVE THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION. UM, AND SO, MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND. [9. 25-54348 Recommendation to authorize the Ad Hoc on Updated Policies and former members of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Lobbyist Ordinance to appear at any future council meetings in which the Ethics Ordinance and changes to the Lobbyist Ordinance proposals are presented and discussed.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] SO MOVED. SECOND. IT HAS BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DAVE BENEDICTUS, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL. UM, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMENT RELATING TO THE LEAD OVER ITEM NUMBER NINE IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISED HAND FEATURE. AND IF IN PERSON PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM, SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND ZOOM. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC FOR ITEM NUMBER NINE, CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR A VOTE? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 10, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATED, UH, AN UPDATE FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON COMMISSION. RESPONSIBILITIES. MAY HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND ON THIS ITEM. MORALES MOVES. I'LL SECOND WHITE. OH, LET WHITE SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MORALES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WISE, WHO WILL BE [10. 25-54349 Recommendation to receive and file an update from the Ad Hoc Committee on Commission Responsibilities.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] PROVIDING THE UPDATE. I WILL. IT'S A VERY BRIEF UPDATE. UH, SO WE HAVE THE AD HOC, UH, COMMISSIONER'S, WEISS MORALES AND ME HAVE MET SEVERAL TIMES. WE'VE COMPLETED MOST OF OUR INTERVIEWS. UH, WE HAVE A DRAFT OF OUR REPORT, UH, AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE, UH, COMMISSION THAT WE ARE WORKING ON. WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE MORE INTERVIEWS TO COMPLETE, UH, BUT WE DO ANTICIPATE HAVING A DRAFT REPORT BY THE MARCH MEETING, UH, WITH HOPEFULLY A FINAL REPORT TO THE COMMISSION AT THE APRIL MEETING. UM, IF NOT, UM, NO, I THINK IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, IN END MARCH OR END AND APRIL MEETINGS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM SEEN? AND HEARING NONE? CAN WE OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 10 IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF IN PERSON PLEASE LAND UP AT THE PODIUM, SEEING NONE, BOTH IN ZOOM AND IN PERSON. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER 10. MAY WE PLEASE CALL FOR A VOTE? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AYE. CHAIR P*****K. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 11, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS ANTICIPATED AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR UPCOMING PROJECTS AND IF APPROPRIATE, TAKE ACTION TO DISSOLVE, CREATE OR REAUTHORIZE THE AD HOC COMMITTEES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? I'LL MOVE. AYE, MOVED. I HAVE A SECOND. [11. 25-54350 Recommendation to discuss anticipated Ad Hoc Committees for upcoming projects; and, if appropriate, take action to dissolve, create or reauthorize Ad Hoc Committees.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] IT'S BEEN MOVED BY CHAIR P*****K. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER NOVE. I WILL TURN IT, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? HEARING? SEEING NONE? CAN WE OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? WAIT, I HAVE A, I HAVE A COMMENT. OH, SORRY. OH, SORRY I DIDN'T, I I, WE, WE TOOK YOU OFF. I COULDN'T SEE YOU. MY APOLOGIES. OKAY. UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS BEST MENTIONED HERE OR UNDER AGENDA ITEMS, BUT I'LL BRING IT UP HERE AND YOU CAN PUSH IT TO THE NEXT ONE IF YOU WANT. UM, WE MADE A, THE COMMISSION MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL SEVERAL YEARS AGO IN CONNECTION WITH ANOTHER MATTER THAT, UM, THAT THE REGULATIONS OR POLICIES REGARDING THE [02:20:01] USE OF PSAS DURING ELECTION SEASON, UM, SHOULD BE CLARIFIED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT OFFICIALS SHOULDN'T USE PSAS, UH, DURING THAT TIME OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. AND I'M, I'M WONDERING WITH THE ELECTION COMING UP, IF WE SHOULD GO BA IT WAS NEVER TAKEN UP BY THE CITY COUNCIL THE MATTER. AND I'M WONDERING IF WE SHOULD GO BACK, UM, NOW AND LOOK AT THAT AGAIN AND, AND PERHAPS SUBMIT THAT AND OTHER, UM, MAYBE PERHAPS SOME OTHER ITEMS, UH, TO THE CITY COUNCIL BEFORE UM, ELECTION SEASONS REALLY GETS, GETS UNDERWAY. IF WE DID THAT, WE MIGHT WANT A COMMITTEE TO TAKE IT ON. SO THAT'S WHY I BRING IT UP IN THIS, IN THIS, IN THIS AREA. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION REGARDING, SHOULD WE CREATE AN AD HOC NOW? SHOULD WE PUT THAT ON CALENDAR FOR NEXT WEEK, NEXT MONTH? QUICK QUESTION, WHAT WOULD BE, I, I AGREE, BUT THE TIME CONCERNED ABOUT THREE COMMISSIONERS LEAVING. YEAH, THREE COMMISSIONERS COMING ON BOARD. UH, AND I REALIZE THAT'S LIKE, SO FIVE MONTHS AWAY, UM, IF THAT AD HOC COULD BE CREATED AT THAT TIME OR IS THAT PROBABLY PUT TOO MUCH OF A TIME CRUNCH IN PLACE? 'CAUSE THERE'S A LONG LEAD TIME THAT'S NECESSARY? YEAH, IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT WOULD, IT WOULD NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO GO THROUGH SOME, PERHAPS NOT MAKE THAT AD HOC NOW. ALTHOUGH THE AD HOC COULD BE, UH, ONLY MEMBERS THAT WILL MAINTAIN ON THE, ON THE COMMISSION. YEAH. UM, PERHAPS JUST THE ITEM THAT WE CAN DISCUSS AT A FUTURE COMMISSION MEETING. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. CAN WE OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM 11 IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF IN PERSON PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM, SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN THE ZOOM THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER 11, CAN PLEASE CALL FOR A VOTE? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AYE. CHAIR P*****K. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 12 RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE ETHICS OFFICER. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND FOR THIS ITEM PLEASE? SO MOVED ON A SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOTIONED BY COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER NOVE. CAN I TURN IT OVER TO HEATHER FOR THE REPORT? THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR. UM, JUST A FEW THINGS. TYLER HAD HIS BABY OR HIS WIFE HAD THEIR BABY . UM, SO HE'S BACK. YAY. UM, HEALTHY BABY BOY. UH, SO TYLER JUST CAME BACK TO WORK THIS WEEK. SO WITH THAT WE DID A FEW, WE HAD TO RESCHEDULE JUST A COUPLE THINGS. UM, SO WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH MARK HULA ON OUR FRAMEWORK CUSTOMIZATION, WHICH IS, UH, PRIORITY ONE ON OUR NEW ROADMAP. SO WE'VE GOT OUR, UM, THAT GOT MOVED TO FEBRUARY 25TH. SO WE WILL FINALIZE, UH, THE CUSTOMIZATION OF OUR ETHICAL FRAMEWORK AND THEN, UH, BRING THAT BACK TO THE COMMISSION. UM, LUNCH AND LEARNS KICKED OFF SUCCESSFULLY ON JANUARY 16TH. UM, WE HAD A LITTLE CROWD BUT UM, WE HAD, I THINK THERE WAS ABOUT 20 OF US THERE, SO IT WAS A NICE TURNOUT FOR OUR FIRST LUNCH AND LEARN. I WANNA THANK COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL FOR [12. 25-54351 Recommendation to receive and file a monthly update from the Ethics Officer.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] JOINING US, UH, THE FIRST, UH, LUNCH AND LEARN FOCUSED ON THE WORK AND RESOURCES OF THE OET. UM, SO WE HAD A GOOD PRESENTATION THAT WE SHARED AND THERE WERE SOME, UH, GOOD INFORMAL DISCUSSION THAT HAPPENED, WHICH IS WHAT WHAT WE'RE ENCOURAGING IN THESE. UM, OUR NEXT LUNCH AND LEARN IS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH. UH, WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON ETHICAL DILEMMAS. UH, SOLUTIONS AREN'T ALWAYS OBVIOUS. UM, MEGAN FELIX, OUR UH, RECORDS COORDINATOR MANAGER IS GOING TO LEAD THAT 'CAUSE I WILL NOT BE HERE THAT WEEK. UM, FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER WENT OUT, WE'RE NOW MAKING THAT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, SO YOU CAN FIND THAT ON OUR UH, OET WEBSITE. ION ETHICS IS GOING OUT THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH. UH, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON THE PRA PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS OET UPDATES. SO WE ARE STILL DOING OUR ROADSHOW WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. UM, UH, ANITA AND I ARE 25 MINUTES LATE FOR OUR NEXT [02:25:01] ROAD SHOW MEETING, SO WE'LL BE RUNNING OUT THE DOOR. , THEY KNOW WE'RE COMING LATE, SO WE'RE DOING THE VETERANS COMMISSION TONIGHT. UM, WE'VE DONE MARINE ADVISORY, SUSTAINABILITY AIRPORT AND HAYSTACK SO FAR. JUST A REMINDER FORM, SEVEN HUNDREDS ARE DUE. UM, AND THEN JUST AN UPDATE. WE DID HAVE OUR RETREAT ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, SO MADE SOME GREAT PROGRESS IN FINALIZING OUR ROADMAP. TYLER AND I STILL NEED TO CONNECT ON FINALIZING THAT, BUT, UM, WE DID TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THE TRAINING PROGRAM AND DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK FOR OUR UPDATED COMMS PLAN. UM, SO IN THE MEANTIME, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STARTED TO OPERATIONALIZE SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. UH, WE DO HAVE A CONTRACT WITH DILIGENT SOLUTIONS THAT WE JUST PUT IN PLACE AND THAT, UM, I THINK I TOLD YOU ABOUT THEM LAST MONTH, THEY'LL BE BRINGING IN, UM, CONNECTING US WITH DIFFERENT LIBRARIES AND RESOURCES THAT WE CAN USE, UM, TO JUST REALLY ENHANCE OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM. UM, AND THEN, UH, TYLER AND I, AND I THINK THE CHAIR HAS ALREADY STARTED THAT DISCUSSION, JUST EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, BUDGET NEEDS AS WE START, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO OPERATIONALIZE THE ROADMAP. AND THAT'S MY UPDATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? SEE OH, OH, CHAIR. UM, HAVE YOU STARTED TO INPUT THE ROADMAP INTO A GANTT CHART? YES, WE HAVE. OKAY. SO I CAN, I CAN SHARE THAT. UM, I'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU GUYS. THAT'D BE GREAT. THANKS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? SEEING NONE. CAN WE OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 12 IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. AND IF IN PERSON PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM, SEEING NONE, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN ZOOM. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. FOR ITEM NUMBER 12. CAN WE PLEASE CALL FOR A VOTE? COMMISSIONER NORVIG AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES AYE. AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL. AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN AYE. CHAIR P*****K. AYE. A MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 13, RECOMMENDATION TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL AGENDA ITEMS FOR FUTURE COMMISSIONER MEETINGS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND FOR THIS ITEM? I SO MOVED. I SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS. ANY DISCUSSION, COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? [13. 25-54352 Recommendation to discuss potential agenda items for future Commission meetings.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] I AM THINK THIS PROBABLY IS GERMANE, UM, 'CAUSE IT'S ADDRESSING FUTURE COMMISSION MEETINGS OR MAYBE IT'S COMMENTS AFTER THIS AGENDA ITEM. BUT, UH, UM, I DO APPRECIATE, UM, THE GENTLEMAN FROM THE PUBLIC'S, UM, RECOMMENDATION THAT AS MUCH AS I DON'T WANT TO, UH, IMPACT STAFF'S TIME BE GOING AFTER HOURS, UH, I DO APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, HAVING ONE OR TWO MEETINGS, UH, A YEAR THAT WOULD BE AT A LATER POINT IN TIME TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I THINK THAT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS. I DON'T WANT US TO BE JUST GIVEN OUR HOURS, UH, AND HOW WE TYPICALLY OPERATE TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PROVIDING FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE, MAY I OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 13 IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE NOW. OR IF IN PERSON PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM. SEEING NONE, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER 13. MAY I CALL FOR A VOTE? COMMISSIONER NOVE AYE. COMMISSIONER DE BENEDICTUS? AYE. COMMISSIONER MORALES? AYE. COMMISSIONER SHOTWELL? AYE. COMMISSIONER WISE? AYE. VICE CHAIR COLEMAN. AYE. CHAIR P*****K. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL TAKE NON AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM LISTED ON AN AGENDA, PLEASE LINE UP, UM, IN FRONT OF THE MICRO. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND IF THERE'S ANY IN THE ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. NOW DID [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Ethics Commission on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] YOU SHOULD HAVE A THREE PAGE EXHIBIT OF THE, OF THE OFFICEHOLDER PARTY PARTY BEACH BASH ACCOUNT. UM, OH, OKAY. WELL, OH, THAT'S OKAY. WELL, I WAS REFERRING TO THAT EXHIBIT THAT [02:30:01] I, AND IT'S GONNA BE PUBLIC RECORD. SO SHOULD I START? OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE AND ETHIC COMMISSIONERS. FORM FOUR 60 IS THE MAIN CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE REPORT USED BY RECIPIENT COMMITTEE TO REPORT EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS. IT PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMMITTEE'S ACTIVITY, INCLUDING MONEY COMING IN AND GOING OUT DURING A SPECIFIED REPORTING PERIOD. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SECTION E, THE PAYMENT SECTION LOCATED ON FORM FOUR 60, THE FOLLOWING FPPC RULES FOR CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE. MANUAL FOUR, THAT IS 328 PAGES. READ EVERY EVERY SINGLE PAGE AND WENT TO A CLASS ON THIS. ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH A LETTER CODE LIKE CVC. SOME PAYMENT CODES MUST ALSO HAVE A DESCRIPTION, A DESCRIPTION ON THE FORM FOUR 60. THEY SHOULD HAVE A DESCRIPTION. UM, AND, AND, AND REFERRING TO THAT DESCRIPTION, SHOULD HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, CIVIC DONATIONS, MEETINGS, OFFICE EXPENSES SHOULD HAVE IN THE DESCRIPTION, HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MANY PEOPLE IT FED, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IT BENEFITED OR ATTENDED, AND WHAT FUTURE CAMPAIGN IS IT BEING USED FOR AND WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE DONATION? LEAVING IT BLANK SHOULD BE A RED FLAG IMMEDIATELY, NUMBER ONE. AND NUMBER TWO, WHEN A THOUSAND DOLLARS OFFICE HOLDER IS COMPLETELY BLANK. OKAY, WHAT IS THAT GOING? SO THEN YOU START DEEP DIVING AND THEN YOU'LL GET THE THREE PAGE PARTY. BEACH P AT A PRIVATE EVENT THAT PAID FOR BEER, ALCOHOL, PIZZA, AND A DJ AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE OF AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. AND THAT'S WITH A THOUSAND DOLLARS. BUT EASTER 200, CHRISTMAS 167 AND THEN, UH, HALLOWEEN 300. SO A BEACH BASH THAT BENEFITED A PERSON, ELECTED OFFICIALS PERSONAL RESIDENCE GOT A THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT THE COMMUNITY GOT SIX 50. IT'S ALL IN THERE. THAT'S WHY THE DA'S INVESTIGATING THIS ELECTED OFFICIAL, UM, 10, MAYBE 11 POTENTIAL FELONIES. AND IT'S BEING INVESTIGATED AS WE SPEAK. THE DA IS INVESTIGATING THIS ELECTION OFFICIAL AND IF FOUND GUILTY, SHE WILL BE REMOVED. IN THE FIRST, IN THE HISTORY OF LONG BEACH, THERE'S FIVE OPEN FPPC VIOLATIONS THAT ARE BEING INVESTIGATED ALSO WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE DA AND BEYOND. O THIS ELECTED OFFICIAL IS SO CORRUPT AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THIS OFFICE HOLDER ACCOUNT. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS ELECTED OFFICIAL'S OFFICE HOLDER ACCOUNT ALL BLANK. AND SO YOU HAVE TO DEEP DIVE. SO I ASKED THE, UH, THE ETHICS COMMISSION. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE FORM FOUR 60, MAYBE YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THE DESCRIPTION AND WHO IS IT BENDING FOOTING FOR NEXT? UM, WHEN OFFICE HOLDER EXPENSES ARE MADE, THEY MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CITY CLERK, CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEY, AND THE CITY AUDITOR MUST AUDIT THESE ACCOUNTS ONCE A YEAR. AND SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A TREASURER'S OFFICE, SOMEONE NEEDS TO AUDIT THESE OFFICE HOLDER ACCOUNTS. THERE'S A NEW 2024 REGULATION FROM THE FEPC THAT'S CALLED AIDING AND ABETTING, WHICH I HAVE FILED AGAINST THE CITY ATTORNEY, THE CITY, A CLERK, AND THE CITY AUDITOR THAT THERE ARE LETTING THIS MALFEASANCE AN OFFICE HOLDER. THEY KNOW ABOUT IT. THEY'VE BEEN WARNED FOR FOUR OR FOUR YEARS AND DOING NOTHING. I'VE ASKED FOR ALL 'EM TO BE CHARGED WITH FELONIES. THAT'S WHAT THE DA'S LOOKING AT AS WELL. YOU'RE NOT GONNA LET THIS SLIDE AND I'M TELLING YOU, ALL OF THEM ARE BEING INVESTIGATED AND I HAVE THE LETTER FROM THE LA DA THANK YOU THAT ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE AIDING AND ABETTING. SO IT'S VERY SERIOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU ACCOUNT BEATED YOUR THANK YOU SO MUCH. SURE. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. OKAY. HELLO, MY NAME IS LORI LOGAN AND I LIVE IN THE WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD OF DISTRICT ONE. THIS WILL BE A DIFFICULT TASK BECAUSE EXHAUSTION, FATIGUE HAS SETTLED IN AND NOT MUCH INFORMATION WILL BE RETAINED AT THIS POINT. I HAVE A POEM THAT REPRESENTS MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS COMMISSION. THE TITLE IS NOT VERY ETHICAL. IS IT RIGHT OR IS IT WRONG? THAT'S THE QUESTION THE COMMUNITY HAS ASKED. SO VERY LONG. SHOULD THE CITY DO THIS OR SHOULD THE CITY DO THAT? WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH THE BUDGET? THAT'S REALLY, REALLY FAT. THE OFFICIALS THAT STEAL OUR MONEY HAVE PUT THEIR FRIENDS IN CHARGE OF THE HONEY. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS VERY FUNNY. AS YOU EAT YOUR EXPENSIVE FOOD AND FILL YOUR TUMMIES, IT'S A BIG GRIFF THAT Y'ALL PLAY WITH THE CITIZEN'S MONEY BEING WASTED DAY AFTER DAY. HONESTY, DECEIT, AND HUMILITY ARE ALL OUT THE DOOR WHILST Y'ALL STEAL THE MONEY AND ASK FOR MORE. CITIZEN, SACRED [02:35:01] TRUST IN PUBLIC OFFICE HAS BEEN WAVERED. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU SEEK PERSONAL FAVOR, GREED, CORRUPTION, AND DECEIT. SIT HERE BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN TEMPTED BY YOUR PEERS. THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT? ANY ONLINE? SEEING NONE IN THE ZOOM THAT CONCLUDES NON AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL MOVE TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS, FROM STAFF HEARING AND SEEING NONE. IF THERE IS A NO OBJECTION, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.